First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Olney 

William.  Henry  Wells,  D.D.,  Pastor 

Tabor  Road  at  Third  Street 
Olney,  Philadelphia 


/.  n .  2 ,i] , 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


Presented  by 


c3h 


Division . CUC  « 

Section . 


A  COMPREHENSIVE  VIEW  OF  THE  BUILDINGS  WHEN  COMPLETED 


Twenty-five  Tears 
of  Service 

* 

First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Olney 
Philadelphia 


COMMEMORATING  THE 
TWENTY-FIFTH  ANNIVERSARY 
OF  THE 

FOUNDING  OF  THE  CHURCH 
DECEMBER  5,  1923 


COMPILED  ANp  WRITTEN  BY 

William  Henry  Wells,  D.D.,  Pastor 


Published  under  the  direction  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Anniversary  Committee 


TO  THE  PEOPLE 

whom  I  have  had  the  honor  and  privilege  to  serve  as  pastor, 
by  whose  kindly  affection,  unswerving  loyalty,  generous 
forbearance,  and  earnest  prayers  the  work  of  this 
Church  has  been  supported  and  devel¬ 
oped  throughout  the  years,  this 
History  is  affectionately 

DEDICA  TED 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/twentyfiveyearsoOOwell 


WILLIAM  HENRY  WELLS,  D.D. 
Pastor ,  1899 — 


FOREWORD 


In  connection  with  the  celebration  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Anniversary  of  the  Church,  it  was 
suggested  that  a  history  be  written  as  a  matter 
of  permanent  record,  a  source  of  encourage¬ 
ment  and  a  fount  of  inspiration. 

In  the  providence  of  God  it  fell  to  the  lot  of 
the  pastor  to  be  the  historian. 

In  this  History,  statistics  do  not  figure  con¬ 
spicuously,  but  sentiments  and  events  have  been 
expressed,  believing  that  the  feelings  and  cir¬ 
cumstances  prompting  them  would  make  the 
pages  of  this  History  glow  and  live  in  the  lives 
of  those  who  will  continue  the  work  in  future 
years. 

The  author  gratefully  acknowledges  the  use 
of  the  diary  notes  of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Lighten- 
home  and  Mrs.  Franklin  W.  Oehrle,  the  Minutes 
of  the  Church  Session  and  the  Minutes  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North,  from  which 
excerpts  have  been  quoted. 

As  this  brief  historical  summary  goes  forth, 
it  is  with  a  prayer  that  it  may  fulfill  its  mission. 

William  Henry  Wells. 


December ,  1923. 


3 


AN  APPRECIATION 


In  his  Foreword,  Dr.  Wells  said,  “In  the  provi¬ 
dence  of  God  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  pastor  to  be  the 
historian.”  Because  of  the  natural  modesty  of  the 
historian  many  things  which  could  have  been,  and 
should  have  been  said  about  his  work  were  not 
recorded.  He  has  read  and  corrected  all  the  proofs 
of  this  book,  but  has  not  and  will  not  see  this  page 
until  the  book  is  completed. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  take  care  of  the 
mechanics  of  the  book.  I  have  had  little  to  say 
about  what  went  into  it,  but  much  to  say  about  the 
way  it  was  printed.  If  I  were  a  writer  instead  of 
a  printer,  it  might  have  been  possible  for  me  to 
pen  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  work  which  our 
pastor  has  done  for  us.  I  believe,  however,  that 
it  is  the  unanimous  sentiment  of  the  congregation 
that  we  owe  Dr.  Wells  much,  very  much,  of  the 
credit  for  the  success  of  the  work  during  the  past 
twenty-five  years. 

Dr.  Wells  came  to  us  a  young  man  from  college. 
The  small  beginning  did  not  promise  a  large 
future  for  him,  but,  with  the  aid  of  a  few  faithful 
ones,  he  laid  the  foundation  which  has  been  so  suc¬ 
cessfully  developed — a  work  whereof  we  are  justly 
proud.  From  a  membership  of  fifty,  we  have  grown 
to  a  Church  of  almost  nine  hundred,  and  from  a 
Sabbath  school  of  less  than  one  hundred  we  have 
become  one  of  the  largest,  and  recognized  as  one  of 
the  best  organized  schools  in  Philadelphia. 

During  these  twenty-five  years,  Dr.  Wells  has 
been  more  than  a  preacher  and  a  teacher;  he  has 


5 


AN  APPRECIATION 


been  a  friend  in  all  that  the  word  implies,  sharing 
alike  our  joys  and  sorrows,  and  ready  at  all  times  to 
minister  and  to  help.  He  has  proven  himself  a 
Christian,  a  teacher,  a  friend.  We  hope  he  is  as 
proud  of  us  and  our  Church  as  we  are  of  him  and 
his  work. 

Surely  we  are  all  thankful  that  we  have  had  him 
for  twenty-five  years,  and  pray  that  God  will  spare 
him  to  us  and  prosper  his  work  among  us  for  many 
years  to  come. 

V.  Winfield  Challenger 


6 


CHURCH  ORGANIZATION 

Organized  December  5,  1898  Chartered  December  12,  1901 

Pastor,  Rev.  William  Henry  Wells,  D.D. 

Pastor’s  Assistant,  Miss  L.  S.  Ackerman 

MISSIONARIES 

Home  Field,  Rev.  Samuel  C.  Presnell,  Booneville,  Kentucky 

Foreign  Field,  Rev.  Edward  W.  Perry,  Yuan  Kiang,  Yunnan,  China 

Via  Hongkong  and  Hanoi 

Foreign  Field,  Miss  Ida  M.  Reifsneider,  West  Africa  Mission 


RULING  ELDERS 
William  Fetter,  Clerk  and  Treasurer 
Franklin  W.  Oehrle,  Sr. 

David  Dugan 

William  Harmer  Good,  M.D. 

Robert  C.  Mackie 

V.  Winfield  Challenger 
William  K.  Robson 
Elmer  C.  Bertolet 
Robert  Cairns 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Franklin  W.  Oehrle,  Sr.,  President 
Hugh  Hamilton,  Vice-President 
William  Fetter,  Treasurer 

W.  Ellsworth  Brown,  Secretary 
William  J.  Peoples,  Sr. 

Robert  J.  McConaghy,  Sr. 

Lewis  A.  Bishop 

Harry  G.  Rintz,  Sr. 

Harry  C.  Hecht,  Sr. 

Choir  Director — Charles  W.  Munder, 

3423  N.  Sixteenth  Street 

Church  Organist — Miss  Ann  M.  Thompson, 
1816  N.  Eleventh  Street 

Sexton — Robert  J.  McConaghy,  Sr., 

5308  N.  Water  Street 

CHURCH  COUNCIL 
Chairman  -  -  -  V.  Winfield  Challenger 

Secretary  -  -  -  -  M.  Elizabeth  Oehrle 

SABBATH  SCHOOL 

Superintendent  -  V.  Winfield  Challenger 
Associate  Superintendents 
Robert  C.  Mackie  William  K.  Robson 
Walter  J.  Neely 

Recording  Secretary  -  Ruth  E.  Dugan 
Secretary  of  Records  -  Thomas  B.  Mackie 

Assistant  Secretaries  -  {  KoTc?' Shut? 


Treasurer . James  S.  Shute 

Chorister  -  -  -  -  Harry  G.  Rintz,  Sr. 

Pianist  ------  Esther  H.  Neely 


Chairman  Missionary  Committee, 

Robert  T.  Lawson 


Cradle  Roll 

Superintendent  -  Mrs.  D.  Orville  Killey 

Beginners’  Department 
Superintendent  -  Mrs.  Joseph  C.  Carson 

Primary  Department 

Superintendent  -  -  -  -  Ella  S.  Most 
Junior  Department 

Superintendent  -  -  Mrs.  Otto  Winkopp 

Intermediate  Department 
Superintendent  -  -  Francis  T.  Johnson 

Senior  Department 

Superintendent  -  -  -  Elmer  C.  Bertolet 

Young  People’s  Department 
Superintendent  -  -  William  K.  Robson 

Adult  Department 

Superintendent  -  -  -  Robert  C.  Mackie 

Classes 

Men’s  Pleasant  Hour  Meeting 
President  -  -  Max.  H.  Ladendorf 

Teacher  -  Wm.  Henry  Wells,  D.D. 

Women’s  Bible  Class 
President  -  -  Mrs.  Paul  V.  Guest 

Teacher  -  -  -  Robert  C.  Mackie 

Mothers’  Bible  Class 
President  Mrs.  Edward  H.  Vonderweidt 
Teacher  -  -  Mrs.  Elmer  C.  Bertolet 

Teacher  Training  Department 
Superintendent  -  -  -  -  Ellen  Copeland 

Home  Department 

Superintendent  -  Mrs.  Robert  C.  Mackie 

LADIES’  AID  SOCIETY 
President  -  -  -  Mrs.  George  W.  Vass 

Vice-President  -  Mrs.  John  G.  Sonneborn 
Secretary  -  -  -  Mrs.  Thomas  S.  Nash 

Treasurer  -  -  -  Mrs.  William  Elkins 
Financial  Calendar 

Secretary  -  -  -  Mrs.  John  B.  Hartman 

WOMAN’S  HOME  AND  FOREIGN 
MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 
President  -  -  Mrs.  John  G.  Sonneborn 
Vice-President  -  -  Elizabeth  J.  Reaney 

Secretary  -  -  Mrs.  William  J.  Gilmore 
Treasurer  -  -  -  Mrs.  George  H.  Keller 


7 


CHURCH  ORGANIZATION 


TITHERS’  LEAGUE 


President  ------  Robert  Cairns 

Vice-President  -  -  Robert  J.  Buchanan 

Secretary  -----  Edward  Rodisch 

Treasurer  -  -  Mrs.  John  G.  Sonnebom 

THE  BROTHERHOOD 
President  -  -  -  -  Augustus  H.  Sillman 

Vice-President  -  -  -  John  T.  Hamilton 
Secretary  -----  Edward  Rodisch 
Treasurer  -  -  -  -  Wm.  J.  Peoples,  Sr. 

CHRISTIAN  ENDEAVOR 
Young  People’s  Society 

President . -  Carl  G.  Klaiss 

Vice-President  -  -  -  -  Clara  E.  Logan 
Secretary  ------  Earl  Nimon 

Treasurer  -  -  -  -  James  M.  Anderson 

Senior 

Superintendent  -  -  -  Elmer  C.  Bertolet 


Intermediate 

Superintendent  -  -  Francis  T.  Johnson 
Junior 

Superintendent  -  -  Mrs.  Otto  Winkopp 

PRESBYTERIAN  HOSPITAL 
Representative  -  Mrs.  William  H.  Wells 


BOY  SCOUTS 
SCOUT  COMMITTEE 

Arthur  M.  Byers . Chairman 

John  H.  Brownlee  -  -  -  -  Secretary 
Scout  Master  -  -  -  -  Walter  J.  Neely 

Assistant  Scout  Master  -  Dagobert  E.  Miller 
Assistant  Scout  Master  -  William  D.  Lutz 

GIRL  SCOUTS 

( Mrs.  William  G.  Otto 
Scout  Council  -  ■<  Miss  Esther  Copeland 
(  Mrs.  Horace  L.  Fenton 

Captain  ------  Naomi  Rieber 

HOME  FOR  WIDOWS  AND 
SINGLE  WOMEN 

Representative  -  -  Mrs.  Joseph  A.  Blair 

PRESBYTERIAN  ORPHANAGE 
Representative  -  Mrs.  Harry  C.  Hecht,  Sr. 

DEACONESS  TRAINING  SCHOOL 
Representative  -  Miss  M.  Elizabeth  Oehrle 

HOME  FOR  AGED  COUPLES  AT  BALA 
Representative  -  Mrs.  V.  Winfield  Challenger 


8 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

I  Early  Beginnings  -  -  -  11 

II  Getting  Established  -  -  24 

III  Strengthening  Foundations  -  29 

IV  Greater  Growth  -  -  -  34 

V  Building  Again  45 

VI  War  Annals  54 

VII  Regions  Beyond  -  -  -  61 

VIII  Valley  Shadows  67 

IX  Dominant  Forces  73 

X  Much  Remaineth  -  -  -  76 


9 


I 


CHAPTER  I 
EARLY  BEGINNINGS 

THIS  Church  is  the  outgrowth  of  an  effort  on 
the  part  of  persons  holding  the  Presbyterian 
faith  and  order,  to  provide  services  of  worship  and 
a  Sabbath  school. 

The  initial  steps  were  taken  by  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Lightenhome,  who  prepared  the  way  for  the  in¬ 
auguration  of  the  work.  Invitations  to  the  people  of 
the  community  were  prepared  by  Mrs.  Lightenhome 
and  delivered  by  Mrs.  J.  Merriam  Boardman. 

A  preliminary  meeting  for  the  consideration  of 
the  project  was  held  Thursday  evening,  January  20, 
1898,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Boardman,  5500  N. 
Mascher  Street,  formerly  Clinton  Street,  at  which 
fifteen  persons  were  present.  “Much  enthusiasm 
was  evidenced  and  the  Holy  Spirit  hallowed  the 
hour  with  His  presence.”  It  was  decided  to  take 
some  definite  steps.  Accordingly,  the  following 
Sabbath  afternoon,  at  3.30  o’clock,  the  first  service 
was  held  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Boardman,  conducted 
by  the  Rev.  William  MacFarland,  then  pastor  of 
Ann  Carmichael  Church,  and  his  elder,  Harry  P. 
Brown.  Mr.  MacFarland  encouraged  the  effort. 

Besides  these  two,  there  were  nineteen  persons 
present,  among  them  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  E. 
Hutt.  Mr.  Hutt  was  the  first  man  in  the  community 
to  become  interested  and  to  take  hold  of  the  work. 

The  following  Thursday,  Mrs.  Lightenhome 
called  upon  the  Rev.  Alexander  Henry,  pastor  of 
Hermon  Church.  As  a  result  of  this  conference, 


li 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Mr.  Henry  advised  the  starting  of  a  Sabbath  school 
immediately. 

The  School  was  started  the  following  Sabbath, 
thirty-five  persons  being  present.  William  S.  Jack- 
son,  then  a  resident  of  Olney,  had  been  appointed 
to  act  as  superintendent,  and  Mr.  Hutt,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  Mr.  Jackson  spoke,  taking  for  his 
lesson  Job  11:10,  followed  by  Herbert  Deuel,  of 
Fox  Chase,  who  spoke  on  Matthew  18:20.  “We 
were  all  benefited  by  what  was  said  and  left,  more 
than  ever  determined  to  do  our  utmost  in  His  name.” 

“Thursday  evening,  February  3,  the  first  prayer 
meeting  was  held.  It  was  an  inspiring  meeting. 
Twenty-two  were  present.  Mr.  Hutt  was  the  leader 
and  several  took  part,  showing  the  spirit  of  service.” 

Arrangements  were  made  to  rent  two  rooms  in 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Clegg,  5437  N.  Second 
Street.  Beginning  Sabbath,  February  6,  services 
were  held  there  until  September.  The  first  morning 
service,  April  2,  1898,  at  which  thirty-six  were 
present,  was  conducted  by  Shubal  Daniels,  of  the 
Sunday  Breakfast  Association.  Frequently  after¬ 
wards  Mr.  Daniels  conducted  services. 

Mrs.  Lightenhome  called  upon  the  Rev.  William 
H.  Pumphrey,  Ph.D.,  pastor  of  the  Memorial 
Church,  Fox  Chase,  and  solicited  his  interest. 

After  five  weeks  Mr.  Jackson,  having  removed 
from  the  community,  relinquished  his  appointment 
as  superintendent. 

William  J.  Scott,  who  had  become  interested,  was 
asked  and  kindly  consented  to  act  as  superintendent. 
Later,  he  was  elected  to  the  office,  and  continued  as 
superintendent  through  these  initial  stages  and  be- 


12 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


came  the  first  superintendent  of  the  organized 
Sabbath  School  after  Presbytery  had  completed  the 
organization  of  the  Church. 

The  beginning  in  these  rented  rooms  was  very 
humble  indeed.  The  music  was  furnished  from  an 
organ  loaned  by  Mrs.  Boardman,  and  boxes  and 
boards  did  service  for  a  while  as  seats.  Later,  each 
person  bought  his  own  chair,  and  thus  comfortable 
seating  was  provided. 

The  School  had  meanwhile  grown  so  that  it  was 
advisable  to  divide  it  into  three  classes.  It  was  at 
this  time,  March  13,  1898,  that  the  Primary  De¬ 
partment  was  organized. 

A  little  later  an  effort  was  made  to  secure  a 
library.  Also,  about  this  time,  Mr.  Scott  secured 
from  our  Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath  School 
Work,  a  liberal  donation  of  books,  weekly  papers, 
lesson  leaflets,  cards,  and  charts  to  aid  in  the  study 
of  the  International  Lessons.  The  Board  continued 
to  supply  the  School  for  some  months,  until  it  was 
able  to  make  the  purchase  of  its  necessary  supplies. 

As  the  weeks  went  by  new  people  became  inter¬ 
ested,  among  whom  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  K. 
Wilson  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franklin  W.  Oehrle. 

From  the  first,  Mrs.  Rachael  V.  Brandt  was  one 
who  rendered  every  possible  assistance  to  the  new 
enterprise,  especially  in  the  use  of  her  home  and 
lawn  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  Street  and 
Olney  Avenue.  Mrs.  Brandt,  however,  never  be¬ 
came  a  member  of  the  Church.  Her  nephew, 
William  B.  Pollard,  a  member  of  the  Bethlehem 
Church,  became  interested  and  assisted  in  procuring 
from  his  own  church,  speakers  for  the  Sabbath  and 


13 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


mid-week  services.  This  was  a  very  great  help. 
At  the  close  of  the  mid-week  service,  March  23, 
“Mr.  Pollard  suggested  obtaining  ministerial  help 
for  the  Sabbath  services,  from  the  students  at  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  for  the  paying 
of  their  car  fare.”  This  was  looked  upon  favorably. 

At  the  same  time  it  became  evident  that  before  a 
great  while  another  meeting  place  would  have  to  be 
sought.  This  raised  the  suggestion  of  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  building,  and  on  Sabbath,  March  27,  “two 
boxes  were  put  in  place,  one  for  the  Building  Fund, 
the  other  for  the  car  fare  for  ministers.” 

As  opportunity  offered,  a  student  from  the  Theo¬ 
logical  Seminary  was  secured.  He  spent  the  week¬ 
end  in  Olney,  preaching  twice,  and  assisting  in  the 
Sabbath  School. 

The  work  continued  to  progress  so  well  that  the 
plan  of  having  a  student  pastor  for  the  summer  was 
discussed  in  a  business  meeting  held  after  the  mid¬ 
week  service,  May  18.  Mr.  Pollard  spoke  of  the 
willingness  of  a  friend,  Dudley  M.  Clagett,  a  student 
from  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  to  come 
for  the  summer.  Mr.  Clagett  was  secured  and  took 
charge  the  following  Sabbath.  He  began  at  once 
gathering  in  all  the  Presbyterian  families  in  the 
neighborhood.  It  was  through  his  efforts  that  a 
number  of  families  came  in  from  Cedar  Grove,  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Frankford  Church  who  had  been  accus¬ 
tomed  to  walk  to  Frankford.  These  folks  made  a 
large  accession  to  the  services  of  the  mission,  and 
included  the  Copelands,  McLories,  Clarks,  and 
Dugans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Fetter  became  in¬ 
terested  about  this  time,  too. 


14 


THE  CLEGG  HOUSE  FIRST  CHURCH  BUILDING 

Services  of  the  Church  and  Sabbath  School  were  held  Used  1898 _ 1904 

in  this  house,  February  to  August,  1898 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


The  two  rented  rooms  were  more  than  filled 
with  the  people  who  now  attended  the  services,  and 
it  was  evident  that  other  arrangements  would  soon 
have  to  be  made  to  meet  the  needs  of  this  healthy, 
growing  mission.  This  was  a  serious  problem  to 
face.  The  men  and  women  who  were  in  the  work 
were  resolute;  having  put  their  hands  to  the  plow, 
they  would  not  look  back.  Each  one  felt  it  neces¬ 
sary  to  go  forward.  At  a  business  meeting  held 
after  the  Wednesday  evening  service,  June  22,  it 
was  decided  to  build  a  house  of  some  kind  for 
worship.  A  building  committee  was  appointed,  con¬ 
sisting  of  William  J.  Scott,  George  E.  Hutt,  Franklin 
W.  Oehrle,  and  William  V.  Love. 

Mr.  Scott  was  the  owner  of  a  plot  of  ground  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Tabor  Road  and  Third 
Street.  This  he  offered  to  loan  to  the  mission.  A 
canvass  of  the  people  resulted  in  the  subscribing  of 
enough  money  to  begin  the  erection  of  a  plain  frame 
building  on  the  ground  offered  by  Mr.  Scott.  He 
also  offered  his  services,  without  charge,  for  the 
erection  of  the  building.  John  Brough,  then  a  car¬ 
penter,  was  engaged  to  help.  The  building  consisted 
of  one  large  room,  twenty-five  feet  wide  and  forty- 
five  feet  long,  to  which  a  vestibule  was  afterwards 
added.  It  took  the  entire  summer  to  erect  the 
building,  because  most  of  the  work  was  done  in  the 
evenings  by  the  men  of  the  Church. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Clagett  organized  a  Ladies’ Aid 
Society.  All  the  women  were  invited  to  meet  at  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Hutt,  the  evening  of  August  8,  to 
organize  a  Ladies’  Aid  Society.  The  society  was 
duly  organized  with  Mrs.  Hutt  as  president,  Mrs. 


15 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Oehrle,  vice-president,  and  Mrs.  Lightenhome,  secre¬ 
tary  and  treasurer.  This  organization  of  women  has 
continued  to  be  the  most  active  and  helpful  organiza¬ 
tion  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  with  an  unbroken 
service  of  ever-increasing  usefulness. 

The  building  was  finished  late  in  August  and  was 
made  ready  for  occupancy.  The  first  services  were 
held  in  it,  Sabbath,  September  4,  conducted  by  Mr. 
Clagett.  The  Rev.  William  MacFarland  was  present 
at  the  evening  service.  The  attendance  for  the 
day  was:  morning  80,  Sabbath  School  50,  evening 
107.  Offerings  for  the  day  amounted  to  $40.07. 

Much  of  the  financial  help  for  this  purpose  was 
supplied  by  the  women  of  the  Church. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  September  21,  an  elec¬ 
tion  was  held  for  what  was  to  be  known  as  a  “Con¬ 
trolling  Committee,”  resulting  in  the  election  of 
Messrs.  Scott,  Hutt,  Wilson,  Oehrle,  and  Fetter. 
To  this  Committee  was  entrusted  the  interests  and 
the  affairs  of  the  mission. 

On  Tuesday,  September  27,  Mr.  Clagett  left 
to  resume  his  studies.  After  his  leaving,  the  plan 
of  having  a  student  from  the  Seminary  over  the 
week-end  was  resumed. 

“Among  those  who  came  and  were  most  accept¬ 
able  in  their  ministrations,  and  by  their  enthusiasm 
attracted  many  people  to  the  services,  were  Edward 
L.  Kennedy,  Charles  E.  Patton,  Ernest  F.  Hall, 
Clinton  W.  Lowrie,  Harvey  Klaer,  and  William 
Henry  Wells.” 

On  Wednesday  evening,  September  28,  a  Society 
of  Christian  Endeavor  was  organized,  with  twelve 
members,  and  the  following  officers:  President,  John 


16 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


K.  Wilson,  vice-president,  Lulu  Kaiser,  secretary, 
and  treasurer,  Margaret  M.  Copeland,  and  corre¬ 
sponding  secretary,  Mrs.  Franklin  W.  Oehrle.  As 
the  years  have  gone  by,  the  Christian  Endeavor  work 
has  been  conducted  in  all  its  various  departments 
with  much  profit,  but  at  times  with  varying  degrees 
of  success. 

On  Sabbath,  July  24,  the  Sabbath  School  passed 
a  resolution  asking  to  be  taken  under  the  care  of  the 
Frankford  Church;  the  resolution  was  to  be  signed 
by  the  Building  Committee.  Nothing  came  of  this 
because  it  did  not  seem  to  meet  the  situation,  as  the 
people  were  looking  forward  to  the  organization  of 
a  church.  Later,  another  petition  was  prepared, 
duly  signed  by  sixty-eight  persons  and  addressed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North  (setting  forth 
that : 

“We,  the  undersigned  petitioners,  most 
respectfully  represent  the  organization  of  a 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Olney,  Philadelphia, 
as  desirable,  and  that  the  same  will  advance 
the  interests  of  Christ’s  kingdom;  and  we 
hereby  petition  your  honorable  body  to  form 
such  an  organization  and  also  represent  our¬ 
selves  as  willing  to  become  members  thereof, 
and  in  token  of  such  intention,  hereto  set  our 
respective  names.” 

“At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  November  8, 
1898,  the  Rev.  John  B.  Laird  presented  a  petition 
from  sixty-eight  persons  residing  in  Olney,  Phila¬ 
delphia,  proposing  to  be  organized  as  a  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  petition  was  referred  to  the  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Home  Missions  with  power  to  act.” 


17 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


In  accordance  with  this  action,  the  Committee 
on  Home  Missions  met  in  the  Church  building,  Mon¬ 
day,  December  5,  1898,  and  organized  the  Church, 
with  fifty-one  members.  The  Rev.  Alexander  Henry, 
chairman  of  the  Committee,  was  the  moderator,  and 
Elder  William  H.  Scott,  of  the  Market  Square 
Church,  Germantown,  secretary  of  the  Committee, 
was  the  clerk.  Other  members  of  the  Committee 
present  were:  the  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Bieber,  D.D., 
the  Rev.  William  P.  White,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev. 
William  Porter  Lee.  The  sermon  was  preached  by 
Dr.  Bieber. 

Immediately  after  the  organization  was  com¬ 
pleted,  a  congregational  meeting  was  held.  It  was 
resolved  to  call  the  Church  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Olney.  The  rotary  system  of  eldership 
was  adopted.  William  J.  Scott,  William  Fetter,  and 
John  K.  Wilson  were  elected  ruling  elders.  A  letter 
from  the  Session  of  the  Frankford  Church  was  read, 
commending  Elders  Scott  and  Fetter,  both  having 
been  members  thereof.  Mr.  Wilson  was  ordained 
and  all  were  duly  installed.  Subsequently,  Mr. 
Wilson  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Session. 

On  motion  the  following  persons,  nine  in  number, 
were  unanimously  elected  trustees:  Franklin  W. 
Oehrle,  George  E.  Hutt,  Lavine  A.  Lightenhome, 
John  Wier,  David  Dugan,  Matthew  Kenney,  Joseph 
Dickson,  J.  Kinsey  Kerr,  and  Samuel  Clark.  Subse¬ 
quently,  Mr.  Oehrle  was  elected  president  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  He  has  served  continuously  in 
that  office  ever  since  and  he  is  the  only  one  of  the 
original  number  still  serving.  Mr.  Wier  was  elected 
secretary  and  Mr.  Hutt  treasurer. 


18 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  January  10,  1899, 
the  Committee  on  Home  Missions  presented  a  re¬ 
port,  which  was  adopted,  namely:  “On  December  5, 
1898,  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Olney  was  organ¬ 
ized  with  fifty-one  members.  William  J.  Scott, 
William  Fetter,  and  John  K.  Wilson  were  elected 
ruling  elders.  The  Rev.  Alexander  Henry  was  ap¬ 
pointed  moderator  until  the  next  meeting  of  Presby¬ 
tery.  Subsequently,  the  Rev.  William  MacFarland 
was  appointed  moderator  of  the  Olney  Church  and 
permission  granted  to  the  Session  to  supply  its 
pulpit.”  William  Fetter  represented  the  Church. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  March  14,  1899, 
“The  Committee  on  Home  Missions  presented  a  re¬ 
port  recommending  the  Church  at  Olney  to  the 
Synodical  Committee  on  Home  Missions  and  Sus- 
tentation,  for  $200  per  annum,  to  date  from  the 
organization  of  the  Church,  and  urging  the  Church 
to  establish  the  pastoral  relation  as  speedily  as 
possible.  The  report  was  adopted  and  the  stated 
clerk  was  instructed  to  cast  the  ballot  of  Presbytery 
in  favor  of  the  Olney  Church  for  $200.” 

The  pulpit  continued  to  be  supplied  by  students 
from  the  Theological  Seminary.  As  the  winter  went 
on,  the  need  for  a  settled  pastor  became  more  and 
more  evident.  “The  young  men  who  were  coming 
from  Princeton  each  week  were  now  in  the  grad¬ 
uating  class  and  would  be  going  out  to  permanent 
charges  as  soon  as  commencement  was  over.” 

The  next  important  step,  therefore,  was  the  se¬ 
curing  of  a  pastor.  “The  most  popular  of  all  those 
students  who  came  that  winter  was  William  Henry 
Wells,  and  Mr.  Scott  urged  that  he  receive  the  call. 


19 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


The  people  hesitated  only  because  they  could  offer 
but  a  meager  salary  of  $500  a  year,  but  the  Synodical 
Aid  Committee,  being  appealed  to,  offered  $300  a 
year  additional  salary.” 

It  was  decided  to  call  a  congregational  meeting 
for  Wednesday,  March  29,  to  meet  at  the  close  of 
the  mid-week  service  “for  the  purpose  of  calling  a 
pastor.  Nominations  being  called  for,  the  name 
of  William  Henry  Wells  was  announced,  and  on 
motion,  nominations  were  closed  with  the  single 
candidate.  Franklin  W.  Oehrle  was  elected  to  cast 
the  ballot  and  voted  for  William  Henry  Wells,  con¬ 
curred  in  unanimously  by  the  congregation.  The 
following  persons  were  elected  to  sign  the  call : 
William  J.  Scott,  William  Fetter,  John  K.  Wilson, 
elders,  and  George  E.  Hutt,  trustee.  William  Fetter 
and  L.  A.  Lightenhome  were  elected  a  committee  to 
present  the  call  to  Presbytery.” 

“Although  he  received  other  calls,  all  of  them 
carrying  much  larger  salaries,  yet  Mr.  Wells  re¬ 
sponded  to  this  one.”  Fie  announced  his  acceptance 
of  the  call  to  the  congregation  at  the  Easter  morning 
service,  April  7. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  April  25,  1899,  “a 
call  for  the  pastoral  services  of  licentiate,  William 
H.  Wells,  was  presented  from  Olney  Church.  The 
call  was  read  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  reference 
to  the  appropriation  expected  from  the  Synodical 
Committee  on  Sustentation,  which  was  ordered 
eliminated,  was  found  in  order  and  retained  in  the 
possession  of  the  Presbytery.” 

Mr.  Wells  graduated  from  Lafayette  College, 
Easton,  Pennsylvania,  class  of  1896,  and  from  the 


20 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


Theological  Seminary,  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  class 
of  1899.  The  commencement  was  held  Tuesday, 
May  9,  and  on  Saturday,  May  20,  Mr.  Wells  came 
to  Olney  and  began  his  work  the  next  day. 

Mrs.  Jacob  Felton,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  J.  Scott,  with  whom  they  resided,  opened 
her  home  to  the  new  pastor,  and  he  continued  a 
member  of  this  family  until  he  established  his  own 
home  in  February,  the  following  year,  having  married 
Eulalie  C.  Ackerman,  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  the  home 
Church  of  Mr.  Wells,  the  First  Church  of  Reading, 
July  11,  1899,  “the  Home  Mission  Committee  re¬ 
ported  recommending  the  Olney  Church  to  the  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Synodical  Sustentation  for  $300  for  one 
year.  The  report  was  adopted  and  the  stated  clerk 
was  instructed  to  cast  and  did  cast  the  ballot  of 
Presbytery  for  that  amount.”  Also  at  this  meeting, 
“Presbytery  proceeded  to  the  examination  of  licen¬ 
tiate,  William  H.  Wells,  for  ordination.  Mr.  Wells 
was  examined  in  Theology,  Church  History,  Church 
Government,  and  the  Sacraments;  and  the  examina¬ 
tion  in  each  was  sustained.  The  Committee  on 
Examination  reported  recommending  that  the  ex¬ 
amination  in  language  be  sustained.  The  report  was 
adopted.  The  roll  was  called  and  the  examination 
as  a  whole  was  sustained.” 

On  motion,  the  Rev.  George  C.  Heckman,  D.D., 
Mr.  Wells’s  pastor,  was  appointed  to  preach  the 
sermon;  the  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Bieber,  D.D.,  to  offer 
the  prayer  of  ordination,  and  the  moderator,  the 
Rev.  William  Porter  Lee,  to  propose  the  constitu¬ 
tional  questions.  Presbytery  then  proceeded  solemnly 


21 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


to  ordain  William  Henry  Wells  according  to  these 
arrangements,  and  by  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of 
the  hands  of  Presbytery,  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel 
ministry.  The  name  of  William  Henry  Wells  was, 
on  motion,  added  to  the  roll  of  Presbytery.  Mr. 
Wells  and  Elder  William  Fetter  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  arrange  for  the  installation.  Later  the 
committee  reported  “recommending  that  the  install¬ 
ation  take  place  Tuesday,  July  18,  1899,  at  8  P.  M.; 
that  the  moderator  of  Presbytery  preside;  that  the 
Rev.  Richard  Montgomery  preach  the  sermon;  that 
the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Burns,  D.D.,  deliver  the  charge 
to  the  pastor,  and  the  Rev.  John  B.  Laird,  D.D., 
deliver  the  charge  to  the  people.  The  report  was 
adopted.”  The  installation  took  place  at  the  time 
appointed  and  was  conducted  in  accordance  with  the 
arrangements. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  at  their  meeting,  August 
14,  1899,  took  a  wise  step,  the  result  of  a  far¬ 
sighted  motion  by  Mr.  Hutt  in  setting  aside  for 
offerings  for  the  Building  Fund  the  last  Sabbath  of 
each  quarter,  beginning  with  September.  This  proved 
to  be  a  very  helpful  and  encouraging  procedure,  not 
only  in  making  provision  for  the  immediate  present, 
but  in  providing  a  nucleus  for  future  building  pur¬ 
poses,  as  the  custom  was  kept  up  until  February, 
1916.  All  the  money  collected  on  these  quarterly 
Sabbaths,  morning  and  evening,  both  that  which  was 
in  the  regular  weekly  church  envelopes  and  all  other 
offerings,  was  thus  set  aside. 

Sabbath  morning,  September  3,  1899,  the  new 
pastor  conducted  his  first  communion  service,  at 
which  time  eleven  persons  were  received  into  the 


22 


THE  FIRST  SESSION 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


/ 

membership  of  the  Church  on  profession  of  their 
faith  and  three  by  certificate. 

At  the  congregational  meeting  held  December 
5,  1900,  Franklin  W.  Oehrle  was  elected  a  ruling 
elder.  His  ordination  and  installation  took  place 
the  following  Sabbath  morning.  He  was  the  first 
ruling  elder  to  be  ordained  and  installed  by  the  new 
pastor. 

The  first  report  of  the  Session  to  Presbytery  after 
the  installation  of  the  pastor  was  as  follows:  Elders 
3,  trustees  9,  members  added  by  profession  of  faith 
23,  by  certificate  23,  total  communicant  membership 
99,  adults  baptized  4,  infants  baptized  15,  Sabbath- 
school  membership  170.  Total  benevolences,  $20.25. 
Congregational  expenses,  $1093.21. 


23 


CHAPTER  II 


GETTING  ESTABLISHED 

THE  next  five  years  were  marked  by  increased 
growth  in  every  way  and  the  Church  became 
firmly  established. 

Certain  things  stand  out  in  this  period.  First 
is  the  development  of  increased  interest.  Some 
who  were  uncertain  about  the  success  of  the  venture 
were  now  convinced  and  united  with  the  Church, 
while  others  who  had  helped  in  the  beginning  with¬ 
drew.  Second,  the  mission  of  the  Church  was  clearly 
set  forth,  a  definite  policy  was  outlined.  The  Church 
became  better  understood  and  established. 

The  first  building  lots  were  secured,  five  in  num¬ 
ber,  facing  on  Tabor  Road.  Money  was  borrowed 
to  purchase  the  two  corner  lots  from  Mr.  Scott, 
which  he  sold  at  cost,  namely,  $2600,  including  the 
frame  house.  The  other  three  lots  were  purchased 
for  $1325,  with  money  loaned  by  Mr.  Scott  out  of 
the  $2600  paid  him.  He  made  this  loan  without 
interest,  but  the  Board  of  Trustees  afterwards  in¬ 
sisted  on  paying  him  five  per  cent.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Scott,  the  business 
ability  of  Mr.  Oehrle,  and  the  help  of  Joseph  Dick¬ 
son,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  a  real 
estate  man  of  the  community,  this  opportunity  might 
have  been  lost. 

Later  on,  as  opportunity  offered,  the  additional 
adjoining  lots  fronting  on  Third  Street  were  ac¬ 
quired  one  by  one.  The  site  was  heartily  recom¬ 
mended  by  Presbytery’s  Committee  for  the  perma- 


24 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


nent  location  of  the  Church,  and  the  good  judgment 
of  the  trustees  was  commended. 

On  account  of  failing  health,  Mr.  Hutt  resigned 
as  treasurer,  May  6,  1901,  and  Mr.  Fetter  was 
elected  in  his  stead.  He  has  served  in  this  office 
ever  since,  handling  large  sums  of  money  for  build¬ 
ing  purposes,  current  expenses  and  benevolences, 
with  singular  fidelity  and  accuracy. 

Our  Church  was  chartered  August  12,  1901,  and 
was  the  first  to  be  chartered  under  the  provisions  of 
Presbytery’s  Model  Charter. 

Much  outside  interest  was  awakened  in  the 
efforts  of  this  young,  healthy,  struggling  Church  and 
real  help  was  extended.  A  communion  table  was 
given  by  the  Abington  Church,  which  was  later  re¬ 
turned  because  of  the  sentiment  attached  to  it.  This 
table  was  one  of  the  few  articles  rescued  from  the 
fire  which  destroyed  the  Abington  Church,  October, 
1895.  A  pulpit  and  two  chairs  were  given  by  the 
Tabor  Church,  Philadelphia. 

Soon  the  congregation  was  confronted  with  the 
necessity  of  securing  a  more  suitable  and  commodious 
building  for  worship  to  meet  the  needs  of  a  rapidly 
growing  Sabbath  School.  There  were  no  funds,  but 
in  faith  the  people  and  pastor  heroically  gave  them¬ 
selves  to  the  task. 

The  pastor  presented  the  matter  to  Presbytery 
at  its  meeting,  January  14,  1902,  at  which  time  the 
following  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted: 
“Presbytery  has  heard  with  thankfulness  of  the 
splendid  growth  of  the  young  Church  at  Olney,  and 
approves  of  the  effort  of  the  Session  to  secure  ade¬ 
quate  accommodations  for  the  needs  of  their  grow- 


25 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


ing  field,  and  heartily  commends  the  Olney  Church 
to  the  liberality  of  our  churches.”  This  resolution 
was  both  encouraging  and  helpful  in  the  work,  al¬ 
ready  begun,  of  raising  the  necessary  funds.  At 
the  solicitation  of  the  pastor,  churches  of  the  Presby¬ 
tery  and  many  individuals  made  generous  contribu¬ 
tions  to  the  Building  Fund.  Even  so,  not  sufficient 
money  was  secured  to  go  ahead,  until,  upon  further 
solicitation,  John  H.  Converse  agreed  to  double  his 
previous  contribution,  provided  the  majority  of  the 
other  contributors  would  do  the  same.  By  hard 
work,  this  was  accomplished.  A  contract  was  let  to 
Hoersch  Brothers,  of  Olney,  for  the  erection  of  the 
stone  Sabbath-school  building,  which  was  a  part  of  a 
complete  church  plan  drawn  by  Isaac  Pursel,  archi¬ 
tect,  Philadelphia. 

The  corner  stone  of  this  building  was  laid  Satur¬ 
day  afternoon,  September  5,  1903,  by  Mr.  Converse, 
whose  counsel  and  help  had  enabled  the  congrega¬ 
tion  to  accomplish  so  much. 

The  first  services  were  held  in  the  completed 
building  Sabbath,  August  7,  1904.  The  entrance 
into  this  building  was  a  wonderfully  joyous  occasion 
and  marked  a  distinctly  new  era  in  the  life  of  the 
Church.  The  next  problem  was  the  securing  of  a 
pipe  organ.  This  was  undertaken  by  the  pastor,  who 
resorted  once  again  to  the  congregation’s  outstand¬ 
ing  friend,  Mr.  Converse,  who  agreed  to  give  one- 
half  of  the  cost  of  the  organ.  The  other  half  was 
secured  by  the  pastor  from  Andrew  Carnegie.  The 
organ  was  to  cost  $1200.  Some  additions  were  made 
to  the  original  specifications,  adding  $200  more, 
which  was  contributed  by  the  congregation.  Later, 


26 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


a  water  motor  was  installed  to  pump  the  organ, 
which  was  previously  pumped  by  hand.  The  organ 
was  dedicated  Sabbath,  July  16,  1905,  and  is  still 
in  use  in  the  present  building. 

At  the  end  of  the  fifth  year  the  membership  was 
132  and  the  Sabbath-school  enrolment  was  249. 
Three  new  departments  were  organized:  First,  the 
Cradle  Roll  in  1904,  superintendent,  Mrs.  Samuel 
G.  Hancock;  second,  the  Beginners’  Department, 
organized  in  the  autumn  of  1906,  superintendent,  C. 
Lou  Krouse,  with  Mrs.  Bertram  J.  L.  Williams  and 
Airs.  William  H.  Wells,  assistants;  third,  the 
Pleasant  Hour  Meeting  for  Men.  The  pastor  felt 
a  desire  to  do  something  for  the  men,  and  talked 
the  matter  over  with  his  friend  and  Sabbath-school 
worker,  Hugh  Cork,  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Olney. 
It  was  proposed  to  organize  the  men  into  a  separate 
department,  under  the  name  of  the  “Pleasant  Hour 
Meeting  for  Men,”  to  meet  in  the  basement  of  the 
building;  the  purpose  being  to  develop  a  work  for 
men  among  men.  The  first  meeting  was  held  the 
second  Sabbath  afternoon  of  October,  1904,  at 
2.30  o’clock.  Mr.  Cork  became  the  leader  and 
teacher.  Soon  after,  he  moved  from  the  community, 
and  the  pastor  succeeded  him. 

This  was  one  of  the  first  men’s  organized  classes 
in  the  city,  and  antedated,  by  several  years,  the 
modern  movement  in  men’s  organized  classes  in 
Sabbath  schools.  Two  years  later,  this  organization 
undertook  the  publication  of  a  monthly  magazine 
called  “The  Pleasant  Hour,”  which  has  been  pub¬ 
lished  each  month  of  the  year  until  the  present  time 
without  a  single  omission.  From  the  first  the  pastor 


27 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


has  been  the  editor.  The  first  assistant  editor  was 
John  W.  Sinnamon,  1906-1907,  succeeded  by  John 
G.  Sonneborn,  1907  to  the  present.  The  first  busi¬ 
ness  manager  was  Samuel  G.  Hancock,  1906-1908, 
succeeded  by  Edwin  F.  Cockroft,  1908-1918.  William 
Neely  was  assistant  business  manager  and  treasurer 
until  1918,  when  he  became  business  manager,  con¬ 
tinuing  as  treasurer.  David  Dugan  has  served  as 
assistant  business  manager  and  secretary  since  1918. 
Three  persons  have  been  identified  with  the  publica¬ 
tion  of  this  magazine  from  the  first;  namely,  the 
pastor,  Mr.  Neely,  and  Mr.  Dugan.  At  no  time 
was  it  the  purpose  of  the  management  to  make 
money,  but  to  publish  the  magazine  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Church  as  a  means  of  conveying  important 
information  to  the  congregation  and  keeping  the 
people  informed  about  the  work  and  progress  of  the 
Church.  By  able  business  management  and  the  loyal 
support  of  the  advertisers,  the  magazine  has  been 
entirely  self-supporting.  This  monthly  publication 
has  been  a  valuable  asset  to  the  Church. 

It  became  necessary  to  renovate  completely  the 
building  on  Tabor  Road.  This  was  done  during  the 
summer  of  1912,  the  services  being  held  in  the  base¬ 
ment.  The  walls  were  painted  and  new  carpet  laid 
on  the  floor.  The  pastor  conceived  the  idea  and 
solicited  the  funds  for  a  complete  set  of  memorial 
pulpit  furniture  and  wall  panels.  Each  piece  of 
furniture  is  marked  with  a  memorial  plate.  This 
furniture  and  the  pulpit  Bible,  the  gift  of  the 
Pleasant  Hour  Meeting  for  Men,  are  still  in  use  in 
the  new  Sabbath-school  building. 


28 


CHAPTER  III 


STRENGTHENING  FOUNDATIONS 

THIS  period  is  marked  by  three  outstanding 
achievements  in  connection  with  the  celebration 
of  the  Tenth  Anniversary. 

The  pastor,  in  his  report  submitted  to  the  Ninth 
Annual  Meeting,  said:  “We  hope  to  accomplish 
some  great  things  this  coming  year.  We  are  look¬ 
ing  forward  to  our  Tenth  Anniversary  as  a  time 
of  special  rejoicing.  By  that  time  we  hope,  first,  to 
be  entirely  self-supporting;  and  second,  to  satisfy 
the  mortgage  of  $6000  standing  against  the  land  and 
building,  in  order  to  dedicate  the  property  at  the 
time  of  the  Tenth  Anniversary,  free  of  debt.” 

It  is  a  joy  to  record  that  both  of  these  ends  were 
happily  attained.  For  the  first  ten  years  the  Church 
was  under  the  fostering  care  of  Presbytery’s  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Home  Missions.  During  this  time  the 
congregation  had  the  benefit  of  this  Committee’s 
encouragement  and  financial  help.  The  growth  for 
the  last  three  years  of  the  decade  was  such  as  to 
lead  the  Session  to  hope  that  the  Church  might  be 
self-supporting  and  independent  at  the  time  of  the 
Tenth  Anniversary. 

The  Session  steadfastly  kept  this  in  mind,  and 
at  length  it  was  felt  the  time  had  come  when  the 
people  were  able  to  assume  their  own  support  en¬ 
tirely,  and  that  the  congregation  should  no  longer 
be  drawing  upon  the  funds  of  the  Committee  on 
Synodical  Aid  and  Sustentation.  In  view  of  this, 
with  complete  confidence  in  the  congregation,  the 


29 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Session  did  not  renew  its  application  to  the  Com¬ 
mittee  at  the  beginning  of  the  tenth  year.  Instead, 
the  application  was  returned  with  a  letter  of  thanks, 
expressing  the  gratitude  of  the  congregation  for  the 
help  of  the  past,  and  announcing  that  in  the  judg¬ 
ment  of  the  Session  the  congregation  was  now  pre¬ 
pared  to  assume  its  entire  support.  How  Presbytery 
received  this  announcement  is  beautifully  expressed 
in  the  following  resolution  presented  by  the  Com¬ 
mittee,  and  adopted  by  Presbytery:  “It  is  with  very 
great  satisfaction  that  your  Committee  on  Synodical 
Sustentation  notes  the  growth  of  one  of  our  churches, 
under  the  faithful,  loving  pastoral  care  of  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  our  Presbytery.  The  sacrifices 
of  both  pastor  and  people,  that  have  sometimes  cut 
to  the  quick,  have  gone  into  the  progress  of  the 
Church  unto  self-support. 

“Beginning  with  aid  from  the  Synodical  Fund  to 
the  amount  of  $300,  the  Church  has  been  asking 
less  and  less  each  year,  until  last  year  the  assistance 
sought  amounted  to  only  $100.  It  has  been  a  great 
pleasure  to  your  Committee  of  the  Synod,  to  note  the 
lessening  request  of  the  Church  for  aid;  and  now  it  is 
our  very  great  satisfaction  that  at  the  end  of  ten 
years,  the  Church  assumes  self-support  and  expresses 
its  grateful  appreciation  of  the  help  received  in  the 
past.  It  now  enters  on  an  entirely  independent  life. 

“Your  Committee  recommends  the  adoption  of 
the  following  minute  by  the  Presbytery  :  ‘The  Presby¬ 
tery  desires  to  put  on  record  its  great  satisfaction 
in  the  progress  of  the  Church  at  Olney,  under  the 
pastorate  of  the  Rev.  William  Henry  Wells,  during 
the  last  ten  years,  and  in  the  fact  that  it  signalizes 


30 


FORMER  SABBATH  SCHOOL  SUPERINTENDENTS 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


the  close  of  its  first  decade  by  entering  upon  self- 
support;  and  it  expresses  the  hope  that  the  self- 
sacrificing  labors  of  pastor  and  people  may  bring 
even  larger  measures  of  temporal  and  spiritual 
prosperity  in  the  years  to  come.’” 

This  was  a  most  happy  experience  for  the  con¬ 
gregation  and  the  pastor.  According  to  the  Synod¬ 
ical  rule,  their  financial  aid  could  be  applied  only  to 
supplement  the  pastor’s  salary.  As  the  amount  was 
decreased,  the  congregation  each  time  assumed  the 
amount  of  the  decrease. 

The  next  objective  was  the  satisfying  of  the 
mortgage  of  $6000  standing  against  the  ground  and 
building  then  possessed  by  the  congregation,  so  that 
all  could  be  dedicated  at  the  time  of  the  Tenth  Anni¬ 
versary,  free  of  debt. 

This  objective  was  put  into  practical  form  by 
the  pastor  announcing  to  the  Ninth  Annual  Meeting 
his  readiness  to  undertake  the  work  of  raising  the 
money,  saying  he  would  endeavor  to  raise  $3000  if 
the  congregation  would  raise  the  other  $3000 ;  where¬ 
upon  Mr.  Fetter  said  he  would  pledge  himself  to 
give  $500  if  the  congregation  would  raise  the  $2500. 
This  suggestive  plan  was  approved  and  with  this 
approval  the  work  began.  The  consummation  of 
our  combined  efforts  was  witnessed  in  the  next 
annual  meeting,  when  the  treasurer  announced  that 
with  the  money  in  hand,  together  with  what  was 
still  to  be  paid,  there  would  be  a  little  more  than 
enough  to  satisfy  the  debt.  The  announcement  was 
received  with  profound  amazement.  Everyone  seemed 
to  be  wondering  quietly — Can  it  be  true?  The  full 
and  blessed  realization  of  it  all  did  not  seem  to  dawn 


31 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


upon  the  meeting  until  the  pastor  rose  and  said, 
“Let  us  all  rise  and  sing  the  doxology.”  Then  the 
pent-up  feelings  found  expression  in  praise. 

The  consummation  of  this  great  work  was 
spoken  of  by  many  as  wonderful,  as  indeed  it 
truly  was,  under  the  circumstances.  Thanks  to  the 
interest  and  kindness  of  our  many  generous  friends 
and  helpers;  thanks  to  the  interest  and  liberality  of 
the  members  and  to  their  labors  and  sacrifices; 
thanks  to  the  Ladies’  Aid  Society  and  to  the  members 
of  the  different  departments  of  the  Sabbath  School; 
thanks  to  the  pastor,  as  was  expressed  to  him  by  the 
congregation  in  a  rising  vote  of  thanks;  and  above 
all,  thanks  to  the  goodness  and  blessing  of  God,  our 
Father,  and  Jesus  Christ,  the  Head  of  the  Church. 

The  liquidation  of  this  debt  meant  much  for  the 
future  welfare  of  the  Church.  The  congregation 
came  into  full  possession  of  all  the  property  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Tabor  Road  and  Third  Street, 
132  feet  front  and  110  feet  deep,  together  with  the 
three  buildings — the  original  frame  structure,  then 
being  used  as  a  store,  the  frame  house,  and  the  stone 
Sabbath-school  building. 

In  this  first  ten  years  nearly  $10,000  was  raised 
by  the  pastor  for  the  Church,  outside  of  the  con¬ 
gregation,  for  the  building  fund  and  the  pipe  organ. 

The  celebration  of  the  Tenth  Anniversary  of 
the  Sabbath  School,  Children’s  Day,  June,  1908, 
was  made  memorable  by  the  erection  of  a  bronze 
tablet  by  the  Sabbath  School  Association,  com¬ 
memorating  the  esteem  of  the  officers  and  scholars 
for  the  person  and  work  of  Mr.  Scott  as  superin¬ 
tendent,  who  felt  the  time  had  come  for  him  to  lay 


32 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


down  the  duties  of  this  office.  This  tablet  reads  as 
follows : 

IN  RECOGNITION  OF  LOVING  SERVICE 

WILLIAM  J.  SCOTT 

FIRST  SUPERINTENDENT 

1898  -  1908 
UNVEILED  JUNE  14,  1908 

TENTH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  SABBATH  SCHOOL 

The  tablet  is  twenty-two  inches  high  and  twenty- 
eight  inches  wide.  It  was  originally  placed  on  the 
east  wall  of  the  Tabor  Road  building,  and  after¬ 
wards  removed  to  the  new  Clarkson  Avenue  building. 

After  a  brief  address  by  the  pastor,  the  tablet 
was  unveiled,  by  request,  by  Esther  Wells,  the  little 
daughter  of  the  pastor,  a  member  of  the  Beginners’ 
Department,  who  released  a  silk  American  flag, 
which  dropped  from  the  face  of  the  tablet,  exposing 
it  to  view.  The  erection  of  the  tablet  was  a  surprise 
to  Mr.  Scott,  who  was  manifestly  deeply  affected 
by  this  tribute.  After  he  recovered  himself,  Mr. 
Scott  made  a  touching  and  appropriate  response. 

In  the  third  place,  this  period  was  marked  by  an 
increased  development.  In  the  five  years  1903  to 
1908  the  membership  increased  from  132  to  340  and 
the  Sabbath-school  enrolment  from  249  to  487.  In 
the  next  five  years,  the  membership  increased  from 
340  to  415,  and  the  Sabbath-school  enrolment  from 
487  to  645. 

By  this  time  the  whole  Church  was  well  estab¬ 
lished  and  organized — the  foundations  were  deep¬ 
ened  and  strengthened. 


33 


CHAPTER  IV 
GREATER  GROWTH 

,  THIS  period  opens,  it  was  deemed  wise  to  en- 


large  the  membership  of  the  Session.  Hence, 
after  the  death  of  William  J.  Scott,  a  special  con¬ 
gregational  meeting  was  called  to  elect  a  successor 
for  his  unexpired  term,  and  two  additional  ruling 
elders,  to  make  the  number  six  instead  of  four. 

The  following  brethren  were  elected:  David 
Dugan,  S.  Godwin  Wright,  and  William  Harmar 
Good,  M.D.,  who  were  duly  ordained  and  installed 
Sabbath  morning,  June  1,  1913. 

The  Fifteenth  Anniversary  was  a  marked  oc¬ 
casion,  and  was  celebrated  with  special  services 
Sabbath,  December  7,  1913.  At  the  morning  service 
the  anniversary  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev. 
William  Porter  Tee,  D.D.,  who  was  the  moderator 
of  Presbytery  at  the  time  the  pastor  was  installed. 
H  is  text  was  Ephesians  5  :25,  “Christ  also  loved  the 
Church  and  gave  himself  for  it.”  At  the  evening 
service,  the  Rev.  John  B.  Laird,  D.D.,  spoke  on  the 
timely  theme,  “The  Church  and  the  Community.” 
Wednesday  evening,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Henry, 
D.D.,  who  was  the  moderator  of  the  meeting  at  the 
time  the  Church  was  organized,  spoke  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  “The  Place  of  the  Sabbath  School  in  the  Church.” 
Thursday  evening  was  observed  as  “Presbyterial 
Night,”  at  which  time  brief  congratulatory  addresses 
were  delivered  by  members  of  Presbytery.  All  these 
services  were  helpful,  full  of  encouragement  and 
inspiration. 


34 


SECOND  CHURCH  BUILDING 
Used  1904—1918 


-/ 


. 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


One  of  the  great  events  in  the  life  of  the  Church 
was  the  wonderful  evangelistic  campaign  conducted 
by  the  Rev.  William  A.  Sunday,  D.D.,  in  Phila¬ 
delphia,  beginning  the  third  Sabbath  of  January, 
1915.  Pastor  and  people,  from  the  first,  lent  them¬ 
selves  in  the  interest  of  this  evangelistic  effort  and 
stood  ready  to  co-operate  in  every  way  with  the 
whole  movement,  as  far  as  possible.  A  goodly  num¬ 
ber  of  the  members  served  as  singers,  ushers,  and 
personal  workers  in  the  neighborhood  prayer  meet¬ 
ing  work  and  at  the  Tabernacle.  We,  in  common 
with  a  great  many  other  congregations  throughout 
the  city,  expected  for  our  people  and  Church  a  great 
blessing.  We  worked  and  prayed  for  it,  and  we 
got  it.  During  the  campaign  no  hindrances  were 
put  in  the  way  of  the  people.  They  were  encouraged 
to  attend  as  many  of  the  services  at  the  Tabernacle 
as  possible  and  to  bring  back  with  them  as  much  of 
a  blessing  as  they  could — both  for  themselves  and 
the  Church. 

When  the  campaign  was  over,  our  Communion 
Sabbath,  April  11,  witnessed  the  greatest  occasion 
in  the  history  of  the  Church,  when  it  was  necessary 
to  hold  two  communion  services,  one  in  the  morning 
and  the  other  in  the  evening,  in  order  to  accom¬ 
modate  all  who  desired  to  commune.  At  this  time 
174  persons  were  received  into  membership.  Many 
of  these  people  who  united  with  the  Church  then  are 
still  with  us. 

It  was  most  remarkable  in  an  existence  of  little 
more  than  sixteen  years,  what  a  high  and  honored 
place  the  Church  held  in  the  affections  and  lives  of 
a  splendidly  devoted  and  loyal  membership.  It  was 


35 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


truly  wonderful  how  the  membership  had  increased 
by  real  leaps  and  bounds  during  the  past  two  years. 
Surely  this  spoke  well  for  the  people  and  the  Church. 
By  this  time,  too,  the  Church  had  grown  greatly  in 
the  estimation  of  the  community. 

During  the  two  years,  May,  1913,  to  May,  1915, 
there  were  received  on  profession  and  reprofession 
of  faith,  201  persons,  and  by  certificate  120,  total¬ 
ing  321.  In  the  early  part  of  1913,  the  membership 
was  388  and  in  May,  1915,  it  was  683. 

In  his  report  submitted  to  the  annual  meeting  in 
December,  the  pastor  said:  “We  were  glad  to  co¬ 
operate  in  every  way  in  the  Tabernacle  Meetings, 
and  our  co-operation  and  labors  were  not  in  vain. 
If  we  had  that  campaign  to  go  through  again  we 
would  try  to  do  again  as  much  as  we  did  the  first 
time.  It  is  our  hope  to  keep  the  spirit  of  that  mem¬ 
orable  campaign  alive,  and  still  be  reaping  rich  bless¬ 
ings  in  soul-winning.  This,  after  all,  is  the  great  and 
glorious  work  of  the  Church,  beside  which  nothing 
else  can  compare  and  in  which  all  else  centers.” 

About  this  time  vast  and  unexpected  changes 
took  place  in  the  community,  which  was  growing 
rapidly.  It  was  during  the  next  five  years,  beginning 
with  1914,  that  the  Church  experienced  its  greatest 
growth.  The  membership  increased  from  487  to 
763  and  the  Sabbath-school  from  645  to  1066. 

This  remarkable  growth,  and  the  consequent  in¬ 
creased  drawing  on  the  limited  resources  of  the  then 
existing  plant,  forced  the  issue  of  building  again. 

Recognizing  what  this  would  mean  to  the  con¬ 
gregation  and  the  pastor,  the  Session  and  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  feeling  that  the  people  desired  only  that 


36 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


the  work  go  forward,  engaged  Miss  Lina  S.  Acker¬ 
man,  a  sister  of  the  pastor’s  wife,  a  trained  and  ex¬ 
perienced  church  worker  and  visitor,  for  part  of  her 
time  from  June  1,  1914,  to  assist  the  pastor  in  his 
work.  Miss  Ackerman  is  still  continuing  in  this 
office,  and  has  rendered  invaluable  service. 

Robert  C.  Mackie  was  elected  a  ruling  elder  at 
the  Annual  Meeting,  December  2,  1915,  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  S.  Godwin  Wright,  who  resigned 
on  account  of  removal  from  the  city.  Mr.  Mackie 
was  ordained  and  installed  the  following  Sabbath. 

During  the  next  three  years  the  Church  con¬ 
tinued  to  grow  rapidly  and  the  work  was  conducted 
under  increasingly  difficult  conditions.  Ofttimes 
people  were  turned  away,  unable  to  get  into  the 
Sabbath  services.  An  effort  was  made  to  remedy 
these  conditions  as  far  as  possible  by  holding  two 
services  on  Communion  Sabbaths,  and  on  special 
occasions  by  holding  services  for  the  children  in  the 
basement,  so  that  the  places  otherwise  occupied  by 
the  children  could  be  given  to  adults.  It  was,  there¬ 
fore,  a  glad  time  when  the  day  came  to  enter  this 
new  building. 

The  Twentieth  Anniversary  of  the  Church  was 
celebrated  Sabbath  morning,  December  8,  1918.  The 
sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  John  H.  Boggs, 
D.D.,  of  Lawndale,  a  sympathetic  friend  of  the 
Church,  from  the  text  Hebrews,  12  :27. 

The  pastor,  too,  spoke  briefly,  basing  his  remarks 
on  the  words,  “Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us,” 
Samuel  7:12.  ‘It  was  noted  that  as  we  stand  to¬ 
gether  by  this  twentieth  milestone,  and  here  set  up 


37 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


our  Ebenezer  and  openly  acknowledge  the  help  of 
the  Lord,  we  take  a  look  in  three  directions : 

“1.  A  Look  Upward.  We  give  thanks,  first  of 
all,  to  God  and  His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  the  Head  of 
the  Church,  for  the  help  granted  to  us. 

“2.  A  Look  Backward.  We  look  backward  and 
we  see  our  God  in  our  history  and  accomplishments 
all  beyond  our  most  sanguine  expectations.  During 
this  time  518  united  with  the  Church  on  profession 
of  faith,  and  489  were  received  on  certificate,  total¬ 
ing  1007.  Communicant  membership  is  now  763; 
Sabbath-school  enrolment  1066.  Baptisms,  children 
376,  and  adults  75.  Moreover,  large  sums  of  money 
were  raised  for  current  expenses,  benevolences,  for 
the  purchase  of  land,  and  for  building  purposes. 

“3.  A  Look  Forward.  The  future  holds  still 
greater  things  in  store.  In  a  renewed  faith  in  God 
and.  a  closer  co-operation  and  a  greater  willingness 
to  give  and  to  do,  we  rejoice.  Take  new  courage 
and  press  forward!” 

Despite  the  spirit  of  optimism,  the  years  1917 
and  1918  proved  to  be  by  far  the  most  difficult  and 
trying  years  in  our  history,  because  of  the  absence 
of  so  many  of  the  young  men  in  the  war  service, 
because  of  the  difficulties  confronting  us  in  getting 
the  new  building  finished,  and  because  of  the  in¬ 
fluenza  epidemic  which  raged  during  the  month  of 
October,  1918.  This  epidemic  brought  about,  for 
the  time  being,  a  complete  abandoning  of  the  ser¬ 
vices  and  work  of  the  Church  and  Sabbath  School, 
except  for  the  care  of  the  sick  and  dying. 

This  was  the  first  and  only  time  in  its  history 
that  the  Church  was  without  its  regular  Sabbath  and 


38 


THE  PRESENT  SESSION 

David  Dugan  Elmer  C.  Bertolet  William  K.  Robson  Robert  Cairns  William  Fetter 

Franklin  W.  Oehrle  William  Harmer  Good,  M.D.  Wm.  Henry  Wells,  D.D.  Robert  C.  Mackie  V.  Winfield  Challenger 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


mid-week  services.  In  view  of  all  the  difficulties  of 
the  times  and  circumstances,  all  were  very  thankful 
that  the  Church  came  through  this  trying  period  as 
well  as  it  did,  and  was  able  to  show  results  of  still 
greater  growth. 

On  Sabbath,  May  25,  1919,  John  K.  Wilson, 
who  had  been  so  closely  identified  with  the  life  and 
work  of  the  Church  and  Sabbath  School  almost  from 
the  very  beginning,  relinquished  his  place  as  superin¬ 
tendent,  because  of  leaving  the  community. 

Mr.  Wilson  had  served  as  assistant  superinten¬ 
dent.  When,  therefore,  Mr.  Scott  felt  it  necessary 
to  lay  down  the  duties  of  the  office,  Mr.  Wilson  was 
elected  successor.  He  served  as  superintendent  for 
eleven  years,  during  which  time  the  school  made  its 
greatest  advance.  As  an  evidence  of  their  esteem 
and  appreciation,  the  scholars,  teachers,  and  officers 
combined  in  a  splendid  gift  to  Mr.  Wilson,  in  the 
form  of  a  large  easy  chair,  which  was  presented,  on 
their  behalf,  by  Robert  C.  Mackie,  in  the  presence 
of  the  entire  school. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  held  December  4, 
Mr.  Wilson  presented  his  resignation  as  ruling  elder, 
which  was  very  reluctantly  accepted.  He  had  served 
as  ruling  elder  and  clerk  of  the  Session  continuously 
for  twenty-one  years,  and  had  been  one  of  the  three 
members  of  the  original  Session.  The  departure 
of  Mr.  Wilson  was  keenly  felt,  for  he  had,  all  these 
years,  been  a  gracious,  generous,  and  faithful 
coworker. 

Closely  associated  with  Mr.  Wilson  and  the 
work,  beginning  November,  1904,  was  Charles  A. 
Higgins,  a  member  of  the  Susquehanna  Avenue 


39 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Church,  who,  for  nearly  fifteen  years,  was  the  chor¬ 
ister  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath  School.  At  the 
same  time,  Mr.  Higgins  was  the  director  of  the 
Church  choir.  He  was  a  singer  and  a  leader  who 
had  consecrated  his  talents  to  the  Lord,  and  gave 
them  freely  in  His  service,  through  the  opportunity 
offered  in  this  Sabbath  School  and  Church. 

About  three  years  and  a  half  after  Mr.  Hig¬ 
gins  came  into  the  work,  Esther  H.  Neely  became 
pianist  in  the  Sabbath  School  and  the  mid-week 
service,  also  giving  freely  of  her  time  and  talent  in 
the  service  of  Christ  and  the  Church.  She  has  con¬ 
tinued  to  serve  in  these  positions  with  signal  fidelity 
and  acceptability. 

On  November  7,  1914,  Robert  J.  McConaghy 
Sr.,  was  elected  sexton,  to  succeed  J.  Kinsey  Kerr. 
He  is  still  serving  in  this  office,  and  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  as  well. 

Another  to  enter  into  long  continuous  service  of 
the  Church,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
and  its  secretary,  was  W.  Ellsworth  Brown,  who  has 
been  a  faithful  and  accurate  scribe. 

In  connection  with  the  same  congregational  meet¬ 
ing  at  which  Mr.  Wilson  resigned,  a  reception  was 
tendered  Franklin  W.  Oehrle,  who  for  twenty-one 
years  had  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
during  which  time  he  had  served  continuously 
as  the  president.  It  was  the  desire  of  the  official 
family  of  the  Church  and  its  members  to  recognize 
the  signal  and  faithful  service  rendered  by 
Mr.  Oehrle  and  to  do  him  honor.  Hugh  Hamilton, 
vice-president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  with 
Mrs.  Hamilton,  received  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oehrle. 


40 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


Mrs.  Otto  Wynkopp,  on  behalf  of  the  Ladies’  Aid 
Society,  with  a  few  well-chosen  remarks,  presented 
to  Mr.  Oehrle  a  large  and  beautiful  basket  of  flowers 
and  growing  plants,  as  an  expression  of  esteem  and 
well  wishes.  The  pastor  spoke,  and  in  a  brief  ad¬ 
dress  pointed  out  the  marked  characteristics  of  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Oehrle,  in  his  willing  service, 
his  fine  optimism,  rare  wisdom,  and  unfailing  faith¬ 
fulness  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  office. 
On  behalf  of  the  congregation  the  pastor  then  pre¬ 
sented  to  Mr.  Oehrle  a  fine  Elgin  gold  watch,  with 
the  following  inscription  engraved  inside  the  case : 
“Presented  to  Franklin  W.  Oehrle  by  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Olney,  in  recognition  of 
faithful  service  as  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  1898-1919.”  To  these  addresses 
Mr.  Oehrle  responded  in  words  of  deep  feeling, 
appreciation,  and  thanks. 

V.  Winfield  Challenger,  who  had  for  several  years 
been  serving  as  a  teacher,  and  for  a  year  as  one  of 
the  assistant  superintendents,  of  the  Sabbath  School, 
was  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Wilson  as  superinten¬ 
dent,  and  is  still  serving  most  ably  in  this  office. 
On  the  foundations  that  had  been  laid,  Mr. 
Challenger  has  worked  diligently  to  develop  the 
School  and  increase  its  efficiency.  During  his  ad¬ 
ministration,  some  of  the  departments  have  been  re¬ 
organized  and  new  ones  added,  completing  the 
organization  of  the  school  in  ten  departments. 

Mr.  Challenger  attributes  his  success  in  the 
management  of  the  School  to  the  hearty  co-operation 
given  him  by  the  more  than  one  hundred  officers  and 
teachers  of  the  School.  The  present  departmental 


41 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


organization  of  the  School  and  their  respective  en¬ 
rolments,  October  21,  1923,  are  as  follows:  Cradle 
Roll,  organized  in  1904,  with  Mrs.  Samuel  G. 
Hancock  as  the  first  superintendent,  followed  by 
Mrs.  Clarence  J.  Reifsneider,  Mrs.  Edgar  G.  Egee, 
and  Mrs.  D.  Orville  Killey.  The  present  enrol¬ 
ment  is  53. 

Beginners  Department,  organized  in  1906,  with 
C.  Lou  Krouse  as  the  first  superintendent,  followed 
by  Mrs.  Bertram  J.  L.  Williams,*  Mrs.  William  H. 
Wells,  Mrs.  Edgar  G.  Egee,  and  Mrs.  Joseph  C. 
Carson.  The  present  enrolment  is  124. 

Primary  Department,  organized  in  1898,  with 
Carrie  Christman  as  the  first  superintendent,  followed 
by  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Lightenhome,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  J. 
Adams,  William  Elkins,  and  Ella  S.  Most.  The 
present  enrolment  is  144. 

Junior  Department,  organized  in  1918,  with 
Mrs.  Morgan  W.  VanTassell  as  the  first  superin¬ 
tendent,  followed  by  Mrs.  Otto  Wynkopp.  The 
present  enrolment  is  119. 

Intermediate  Department,  partly  organized  in 
1918,  for  boys,  with  Morgan  W.  VanTassell  as  the 
first  superintendent,  followed  by  Dagobert  E.  Miller. 
The  Department  was  reorganized  in  1919  to  in¬ 
clude  the  boys  and  girls,  with  Ruth  E.  Dugan  as 
superintendent,  followed  by  M.  Elizabeth  Oehrle 
and  Francis  T.  Johnson.  The  present  enrolment 
is  85. 

Senior  Department,  organized  in  1920,  with 
Elmer  C.  Bertolet  and  Margaret  P.  Kennedy  as  the 
first  superintendents,  followed  by  Mr.  Bertolet.  The 
present  enrolment  is  98. 


42 


V.  WINFIELD  CHALLENGER 
Superintendent ,  1919 — 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


Young  People’s  Department,  organized  in  1920, 
with  William  K.  Robson  as  the  first  superintendent. 
The  present  enrolment  is  150. 

Adult  Department,  organized  in  1920,  with 
Robert  C.  Mackie  as  the  first  superintendent.  The 
present  enrolment  is  196. 

Teacher  Training  Department.  Classes  in 
teacher  training  have  been  in  existence  since  1915. 
The  department  was  organized  in  1922,  with  Ellen 
Copeland  as  the  first  superintendent.  The  present 
enrolment  is  44. 

Home  Department,  organized  in  1901,  with 
John  McK.  Titus  as  the  first  superintendent,  fol¬ 
lowed  by  Mrs.  George  E.  Hutt  and  Mrs.  Robert  C. 
Mackie.  The  present  enrolment  is  101. 

The  grand  total  enrolment  including  the  five 
officers  is  1119.  The  communicant  membership  of 
the  Church  is  867. 

At  the  following  Annual  Meeting,  Mr.  Challen¬ 
ger  was  also  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Wilson  as  ruling 
elder.  By  this  election,  a  ruling  elder  was  continued 
in  the  office  of  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  School, 
thus  keeping  this  important  branch  of  the  Church 
work  in  close  touch  with  the  Session. 

Because  of  the  larger  preparations  under  way 
for  the  celebration  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary 
of  the  Church,  to  be  held  during  the  first  week  of 
December,  1923,  at  which  time  the  Sabbath  School 
would  receive  fuller  recognition,  the  Twenty-fifth 
Anniversary  was  observed,  Children’s  Day,  June  10, 
1923,  with  simple  exercises.  Special  services  were 
held  during  the  day:  a  Children’s  Service  in  the 
morning,  special  exercises  in  the  afternoon  in  the 


43 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Sabbath  School,  and  in  the  evening  an  Anniversary 
Service,  at  which  there  were  “Congratulatory 
Greetings”  by  John  K.  Wilson,  former  superinten¬ 
dent,  and  an  address  on  “Our  Sabbath  School,”  by 
V.  Winfield  Challenger,  present  superintendent. 

In  May,  1921,  a  pleasant  surprise  came  to  the 
pastor.  It  was  announced  to  the  congregation, 
Sabbath  morning,  May  29,  by  the  clerk  of  the 
Session,  Mr.  Fetter,  that  a  communication  had  been 
received  by  the  pastor  from  the  President  of 
Lafayette  College,  stating  that  the  Board  of  Trus¬ 
tees  had  voted  to  confer  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  upon  the  pastor,  at  the  coming  commence¬ 
ment,  Monday,  June  13.  This  signal  honor  was 
deeply  appreciated  both  by  the  pastor  and  the 
congregation. 

Different  organizations  of  the  Church  honored 
the  pastor  in  recognition  of  the  honor  conferred  on 
him  by  the  college.  The  Ladies’  Aid  Society  sent 
him  a  beautiful  basket  of  cut  flowers.  The  Brother¬ 
hood  gave  him  a  series  of  books  by  P.  Whitwell 
Wilson.  The  Sabbath  School  Association  presented 
him,  on  Children’s  Day,  with  a  splendid  Emeralite 
desk  lamp,  and  the  Young  People’s  Christian  En¬ 
deavor  Society  presented  him  with  a  beautiful  pic¬ 
ture,  entitled  “Christ  Weeping  Over  Jerusalem.” 
These  splendid  gifts  were  deeply  appreciated,  not 
only  for  the  value  in  themselves,  but  also  because 
of  the  regard  and  esteem  which  they  represented. 


44 


CHAPTER  V 


BUILDING  AGAIN 

THE  first  change  this  new  situation  of  greater 
growth  forced  upon  the  officers  was  the  necessity 
of  abandoning  the  former  church  plans.  These  plans 
had  been  drawn  in  1903,  with  a  view  of  erecting  a 
church  to  accommodate  a  congregation  of  about 
five  hundred.  At  the  time,  as  far  as  could  be  seen, 
that  would  probably  be  the  size  of  the  congregation. 
Fortunately,  only  the  Sabbath-school  building  was 
erected  according  to  these  plans. 

The  question  of  financing  a  building  proposition 
on  a  yet  bigger  plan  arose  in  all  its  seriousness. 
There  was  but  one  thing  to  do — meet  it.  God  had 
given  the  increase  and  He  would  provide. 

When  the  Palethorp  Bequest  became  known,  the 
pastor,  for  several  months,  spent  much  time  and 
effort  trying  to  secure  this  bequest  of  $75,000.  The 
conditions  of  the  bequest  could  not  be  modified  to 
meet  our  situation,  so  any  financial  help  from  this 
direction  had  to  be  given  up. 

At  a  special  Congregational  Meeting,  held  Janu¬ 
ary  27,  1916,  it  was  decided  that  the  Board  of  Trus¬ 
tees  be  instructed  to  proceed  with  the  plans  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  building.  It  was  also  decided  to 
abandon  the  quarterly  offerings  and,  beginning  with 
the  first  Sabbath  of  March,  raise  the  money  by  an¬ 
nual  voluntary  subscriptions,  contributed  weekly 
through  the  envelope  system. 

Much  time,  thought,  and  prayer  were  put  into 
the  task  of  planning  for  the  new  building.  Modern 


45 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


church  buildings  were  visited  by  the  pastor  and 
officers,  and  everything  possible  was  done  to  help 
determine  on  plans,  suitable  not  only  for  the  present, 
but  for  the  future.  After  all  possibilities  were  care¬ 
fully  gone  over,  plans  were  accepted  as  worked  out 
by  the  architect,  Carl  A.  Ziegler,  Philadelphia. 

As  in  the  former  instance,  the  pastor  undertook 
to  help  raise  some  money  for  the  Building  Fund, 
outside  of  the  congregation. 

In  May,  1916,  a  new  benefactor  came  to  the  help 
of  the  Church,  through  the  solicitation  of  the  pastor, 
so  that  Sabbath,  May  14,  was  a  day  of  great  re¬ 
joicing  and  thanksgiving,  because  of  the  announce¬ 
ment  made  by  the  pastor  at  the  morning  service,  of 
the  very  generous  gift  of  $15,000  to  the  Building 
Fund,  upon  two  conditions:  First,  the  $15,000  would 
be  given  when  the  officers  of  the  Church  were  able 
to  show  subscriptions  totaling  a  similar  amount;  and 
second,  the  name  of  the  donor  was  not  to  be  made 
known.  This  most  generous  gift,  at  the  time  of  the 
greatest  need,  was  truly  a  Godsend.  It  brought  en¬ 
couragement  and  inspiration  to  all  to  know  and  to 
feel  that  some  one  was  so  deeply  interested  in  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  the  Church  in  Olney,  and 
was  willing  so  generously  to  second  the  self-sacrific¬ 
ing  efforts  of  the  pastor  and  people  laboring  there 
so  long  under  difficult  conditions,  which  of  them¬ 
selves,  they  had  no  power  to  change.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  this  generous  gift  meant  the  turning  point 
in  the  history  and  work  of  the  Church,  and  heralded 
the  day  of  its  largest  usefulness. 

The  first  condition  of  the  gift  was  happily  met  in 
less  than  six  months,  and  our  generous  benefactor, 


46 


THE  PRESENT  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

Robert  J.  McConaghy,  Sr.  Harry  G.  Rintz,  Sr.  Harry  C.  Hecht,  Sr.  Lewis  A.  Bishop 

William  J.  Peoples,  Sr.  William  Fetter,  Treas.  Franklin  W.  Oehrle,  Pres.  W.  Ellsworth  Brown,  Sec.  Hugh  Hamilton,  Vice-Pres. 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


in  turn,  fulfilled  his  promise,  paying  over  to  the 
Church  the  entire  sum  stipulated.  The  second  con¬ 
dition  has  been  faithfully  kept. 

The  announcement  that  the  money  had  been 
paid  was  received  with  a  very  evident  deep  feeling 
of  gratitude  by  the  congregation  to  the  generous, 
but  unknown  donor,  and  to  God  for  His  favor  and 
blessing.  This  gift  was  interpreted  as  a  kindly  ex¬ 
pression  of  personal  faith  in  the  mission  and  work 
of  the  Church  in  Olney,  and  a  most  substantial  evi¬ 
dence  of  personal  confidence  in  the  people. 

Besides  this  large  gift,  the  pastor  secured  many 
smaller  gifts  from  friends,  which  very  materially 
supplemented  the  contributions  of  the  congregation. 

Early  in  1917  the  officers  were  about  convinced 
that  a  definite  move  must  be  made  toward  building. 
So  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  the  members 
under  date  of  February  10,  from  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  the  pastor: 

“The  officers  of  the  Church  are  now  per¬ 
suaded  that  the  present  and  immediate  future 
welfare  of  our  Church  demand  that  we  proceed 
with  the  work  of  building  this  spring.  There 
has  been  a  holding  back  for  various  reasons  well 
known  to  all,  but  we  now  feel  we  cannot  hold 
back  any  longer  without  very  serious  detriment 
to  and  a  stunting  of  our  development  as  a 
Church. 

“We  frankly  admit  we  cannot  overcome  all 
objections,  difficulties,  and  hindrances  first,  before 
we  attempt  to  build.  If  we  wait  to  accomplish 
that,  nothing  would  ever  be  done — so  we  are 
going  ahead,  as  we  believe  it  is  our  clear  duty 
now  to  do.  From  the  action  of  the  congregation 
and  views  expressed  by  individual  members,  we 


47 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


confidently  believe  the  whole  congregation  is  back 
of  this  decision  and  endeavor. 

“In  the  face  of  all  conditions,  as  officers,  we 
have  done  our  best  thus  far,  but  we  now  feel  that 
the  people  have  been  very  patient  withal  and 
have  put  up  with  hampered  conditions  and  awful 
inconveniences  long  enough.  As  officers  we  be¬ 
lieve  we  ought  to  undertake  the  work  of  housing 
our  congregation  and  Sabbath  School,  knowing 
our  people  stand  ready  to  help  financially  to  the 
utmost  of  their  ability,  in  order  that  the  pressing 
needs  of  this  growing  Church  may  be  adequately 
met,  not  only  for  to-day,  but  for  years  to  come. 
So  with  the  faith  of  Nehemiah,  of  old,  we  believe 
‘The  God  of  heaven,  He  will  prosper  us; 
therefore,  we,  his  servants,  will  arise  and  build.’ 
Nehemiah  2  :20.” 

Accordingly  it  was  definitely  decided  Wednesday 
night,  May  2,  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  the 
Session,  in  joint  meeting,  in  harmony  with  the  in¬ 
structions  given,  to  proceed  at  once  to  build. 

Afterwards,  a  contract  was  let  to  F.  L.  Hoover 
&  Sons,  contractors  and  builders,  Philadelphia,  for 
the  immediate  prosecution  of  the  work,  erecting  first 
the  Sabbath  School,  the  cost  for  this  part  of  the  work 
not  to  exceed  $62,580.  To  this  had  to  be  added  the 
cost  of  heating,  lighting,  plumbing,  and  architect’s 
charge,  which  made  an  approximate  initial  expendi¬ 
ture  of  nearly  $75,000.  The  work  was  to  take  about 
twelve  months.  At  the  time  it  was  completed,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  expected  to  have  in  hand  about 
$50,000,  leaving  the  balance  to  be  carried  by  loans 
and  ultimately  provided  for  by  additional  gifts. 

This  was  a  big  undertaking,  but  not  too  big  for 
a  people  of  big  vision,  big  faith,  and  big  heart. 


48 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


The  formal  ceremony  of  “ground-breaking” 
took  place  Saturday  afternoon,  May  12,  at  3.30 
o’clock,  on  the  plot  at  the  corner  of  Third  Street  and 
Clarkson  Avenue,  which  additional  lots  happily  had 
been  secured  during  the  intervening  years.  The 
corner  stone  was  laid  Saturday  afternoon,  September 
15,  at  3.30  o’clock,  by  William  Fetter,  senior  rul¬ 
ing  elder  and  treasurer.  An  interesting  number  of 
articles  were  placed  in  the  cornerstone,  as  listed  in 
“The  Pleasant  Hour”  of  October,  1917.  The 
address  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  John  B.  Laird, 
D.D.  The  services  were  in  charge  of  the  pastor. 

It  was  planned  to  have  the  opening  of  this  grand 
new  building,  Children’s  Day,  June  9,  1918,  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  observing  of  the  Twentieth  Anniver¬ 
sary  of  the  founding  of  the  Sabbath  School. 

The  building,  as  constructed,  is  90  feet  8  inches 
wide,  facing  on  Clarkson  Avenue,  and  80  feet  8 
inches  deep  along  Third  Street.  It  is  two  stories 
high,  with  a  finished  basement,  containing  a  recrea¬ 
tion  room,  an  ample  kitchen,  and  a  boiler  room.  The 
first  floor  is  divided  into  four  separate  departmental 
classrooms,  and  on  the  second  floor  is  the  main 
auditorium,  with  twelve  separate  classroom  divi¬ 
sions,  a  superintendent’s  room,  and  an  office  for  the 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  entrance  into  this  building,  Children’s  Day, 
June  9,  1918,  as  planned,  was  a  memorable  occasion. 
The  opening  service  was  held  in  the  morning,  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Henry,  D.D.,  secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Publication  and  Sabbath  School  Work,  preaching 
the  sermon.  A  white  marble  baptismal  font  was 
dedicated  in  memory  of  William  J.  Scott,  the  first 


49 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  School,  the  gift  of  his 
wife,  daughter,  and  grandsons,  a  fitting  memorial  to 
him  who  loved  the  children  so  well. 

The  Sabbath-school  session  was  attended  by  more 
than  six  hundred.  In  connection  with  this  service  a 
unique  coincidence  took  place — brief  addresses  were 
made  by  James  R.  Wilson,  brother  of  the  superin¬ 
tendent,  and  by  Walter  S.  Wells,  brother  of  the 
pastor.  Corporal  Walter  J.  Neely,  on  furlough 
from  Camp  Meade,  a  former  assistant  superinten¬ 
dent,  also  spoke. 

At  the  evening  service  brief  remarks  were  made 
by  Carl  A.  Ziegler,  the  architect,  S.  Earle  Hoover 
and  William  F.  Schlimmie,  representing  F.  L. 
Hoover  &  Sons,  builders,  and  Franklin  W.  Oehrle, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Anniversary 
addresses  were  made  by  John  K.  Wilson  on  “The 
Past,”  by  Robert  C.  Mackie  on  “The  Present,”  and 
the  pastor  on  “The  Future”  of  our  Sabbath  School. 
During  the  day  general  satisfaction  was  expressed 
with  the  building. 

At  the  mid-week  service  following,  addresses 
were  made  by  ruling  elders,  Henry  S.  Borneman,  of 
the  Frankford  Church,  and  J.  Herbert  Jefferis,  of 
St.  John’s  Church,  Devon. 

Entrance  into  this  building  stood  out  as  the  visible 
evidence  of  the  continued  and  now  crowning  blessing 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  reward  of  the  faith  and  perse¬ 
verance  of  this  people  and  their  pastor  in  His  service. 

During  the  time  of  the  construction  of  this 
building,  at  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
the  pastor  was  practically  the  executive  agent,  on 
behalf  of  the  Board,  between  the  architect  and  the 


50 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


builders.  To  discharge  this  duty  required  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  attention.  While  this  especial  office 
had  its  difficulties,  it  was  a  pleasant  and  profitable 
experience.  Unfortunately,  while  attending  to  these 
new  duties,  some  of  the  old  duties  had  to  be  partly 
or  entirely  omitted. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting,  December,  1919,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  was  instructed  to  devise  ways 
and  means  for  building  a  manse,  in  harmony  with 
the  comprehensive  plans.  At  the  same  time,  the 
Board  was  given  authority  to  demolish  the  Tabor 
Road  building.  This  matter  was  still  pending  at 
the  time  of  the  next  annual  meeting,  when  the  pos¬ 
sibilities  of  building  the  Church  and  the  manse  were 
discussed.  No  definite  decision  was  arrived  at  con¬ 
cerning  the  Church,  but  the  building  of  the  manse 
was  considered  possible,  a  special  fund  for  this  pur¬ 
pose  having  been  started  in  March,  1920.  The 
Board  of  Trustees  gave  careful  consideration  to 
possible  ways  and  means  by  which  their  instructions 
to  build  a  suitable  manse  might  be  carried  out. 
Finally,  it  was  decided  to  proceed. 

Plans  were  completed  by  the  Church  architect, 
Carl  A.  Ziegler,  bids  obtained,  and  the  contract  let 
to  John  Riley  &  Son,  builders,  Mount  Airy,  Phila¬ 
delphia,  for  the  demolition  of  the  Tabor  Road  build¬ 
ing  and  the  erection  of  the  manse,  the  salvaged  ma¬ 
terial,  as  much  as  possible,  to  be  used  for  the  manse. 

The  completion  of  the  manse  was  the  realization 
of  another  long-cherished  hope  of  the  congregation. 

The  pastor  and  his  family  moved  into  the  manse 
Thursday,  November  10,  1921.  On  the  Sabbath 
following,  after  the  evening  service,  a  meeting  of 


51 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


the  Session,  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  officers  of  the 
Ladies’  Aid  Society  was  held  in  the  manse  for  the 
purpose  of  dedicating  it  to  the  glory  of  God  and  to 
the  service  of  the  Church.  Mr.  Oehrle,  representing 
the  Session  and  the  Board  of  Trustees,  was  asked  to 
preside.  Prayers  were  offered  by  members  of  the 
Session,  and  some  familiar  hymns  were  sung.  The 
pastor  spoke,  congratulating  the  officers  on  this 
achievement  and  expressing  his  deep  appreciation  for 
the  interest  the  congregation  had  always  shown  in 
himself  and  family,  for  the  great  pleasure  afforded 
them  on  being  able  to  enter  such  a  fine  home,  and 
their  thanks  for  all  that  had  been  done.  Brief  ad¬ 
dresses  were  also  made  by  some  of  those  present. 
The  service  closed  with  the  singing  of  the  Doxology. 
The  manse  represents  an  outlay  of  about  $20,000. 
By  March  1,  1923,  it  was  possible  to  announce  to 
the  congregation  that  all  indebtedness  on  the  new 
Sabbath-school  building  had  been  cancelled  and  all 
the  property  of  the  Church  was  entirely  free  from 
encumbrance,  except  a  loan  of  $7500  against  the 
manse.  This  announcement  was  received  with  great 
joy  and  thanksgiving  when  it  was  fully  realized  what 
it  meant. 

The  value  of  all  the  Church  property — land  and 
buildings — as  it  now  stands,  is  at  least  $135,000. 

All  this,  accomplished  in  a  little  more  than 
twenty-four  years,  is  to  everyone  most  remarkable. 

The  first  organization  to  make  any  contribution 
for  building  purposes  was  the  Ladies’  Aid  Society, 
and  this  society  has  continuously  kept  this  particular 
object  in  view,  so  that  each  time  the  Board  of  Trus¬ 
tees  had  to  launch  a  building  project,  the  society 


52 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


rendered  its  invaluable  aid.  One  of  the  particular 
means  used  to  this  end  was  the  carrying  of  building 
and  loan  association  shares.  The  monthly  payments 
on  the  shares  carried  from  time  to  time  were  made 
through  the  income  from  the  Financial  Calendar. 
This  has  been  in  existence  since  1904,  ably  and  suc¬ 
cessfully  directed  by  its  secretary,  Mrs.  John  B. 
Hartmann,  at  whose  suggestion  the  work  was  under¬ 
taken.  Great  credit  is  due  Mrs.  Hartmann  for  her 
continuous,  diligent,  and  self-sacrificing  work  in  the 
maintaining  of  the  Financial  Calendar  through  all 
these  years,  and  in  making  it  such  a  valuable  financial 
asset  to  the  society  and  the  Church. 

As  is  now  well  known,  the  Financial  Calendar  is 
a  simple  working  plan  of  systematic  giving,  con¬ 
ducted  on  the  basis  of  a  calendar  year. 

The  Sabbath  School,  too,  has  been  a  large  con¬ 
tributor  to  the  building  funds  over  and  above  its 
current  expenses  and  other  benevolences.  It  began 
with  a  Christmas  offering  in  1904,  contributing 
annually  until  the  present.  The  School  has  always 
been  self-supporting.  All  through  these  years  the 
contributions  have  been  increasingly  generous,  as 
the  School  has  grown  in  numbers.  Great  credit  is 
due  the  teachers  and  scholars  for  their  deep  interest 
and  financial  help. 

Other  organizations  have  given  as  they  have 
been  able,  and  individual  members,  as  well  as  many 
friends  outside  of  the  membership,  all  of  which  is 
deeply  appreciated  and  here  gratefully  acknowledged. 


53 


CHAPTER  VI 


WAR  ANNALS 

DURING  1917,  the  departure  of  thirty-one  young 
men  from  the  Church  and  the  Sabbath  School 
for  military  and  naval  service  in  connection  with  the 
World  War,  with  the  prospect  of  many  to  follow, 
was  a  very  solemn  matter.  It  brought  to  everyone 
the  terrible  reality  of  the  great  World  War.  The 
next  year  saw  the  departure  of  forty-eight  more  of 
our  young  men,  making  in  all  a  total  of  seventy-nine 
in  the  different  branches  of  Government  service. 

The  absence  of  all  these  young  men  from  our 
homes  and  the  Church,  with  the  anxieties  of  the 
possible  consequences,  was  keenly  felt. 

Sabbath  evening,  June  30,  1918,  was  a  memo¬ 
rable  occasion,  at  which  time  Washington  Camp, 
No.  363,  of  Olney,  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of 
America,  presented  to  the  Church  a  beautiful  silk 
American  flag,  mounted  on  an  ebony  staff  and  iron 
floor  stand.  The  membership  of  the  Camp  attended 
the  service  in  a  body.  A  special  patriotic  service 
was  held,  full  of  enthusiasm  and  patriotic  fervor. 
The  flag  was  presented  to  the  Church,  on  behalf 
of  the  Camp,  by  William  R.  Worrell,  one  of  the 
members. 

This  presentation  was  most  timely,  because  our 
Nation  was  at  war  for  the  preservation  and  per¬ 
petuation,  on  earth,  of  the  principles  for  which  our 
flag  so  nobly  stands,  and  therefore  a  most  appro¬ 
priate  time  for  the  display  of  the  flag  of  the  Nation 
before  the  people  in  the  Church. 


54 


PRESENT  SABBATH  SCHOOL  BUILDING 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


“It  will  bring  to  our  minds,  each  returning  Lord’s 
day, 

Those  who  go  to  the  field  and  the  wave.” 

The  flag  was  accepted,  on  behalf  of  the  Church, 
by  the  pastor.  The  patriotic  address  was  to  have 
been  delivered  by  Judge  Benjamin  H.  Renshaw,  of 
Philadelphia,  who  at  the  last  moment  was  not  able 
to  be  present.  His  place  was  filled  by  the  pastor. 
The  Triple  Quartet  sang  Kipling’s  recessional,  “God 
of  Our  Fathers,  Known  of  Old,”  and  Katharine  Lee 
Bates’s  hymn,  “America,  the  Beautiful.”  The  hymns 
were  all  patriotic,  the  music  excellent,  and  the  singing 
inspiring.  The  great  auditorium  of  the  new  Sabbath- 
school  building  was  filled  with  a  large  and  appre¬ 
ciative  audience.  Each  one  in  the  congregation 
deeply  appreciated  the  true  spirit  of  patriotism  in 
the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  their  splendid 
generosity  in  the  gift  of  this  flag,  and  their  loyalty 
to  our  American  institutions  and  the  Church  of  the 
living  God. 

The  Sabbath  evening  service,  July  14,  was  another 
memorable  occasion,  made  so  by  the  presentation 
to  the  Church  and  Sabbath  School  of  a  beautiful 
silk  service  flag,  by  the  members  of  the  Ladies’  Aid 
Society.  The  whole  service  was  one  of  which  no 
one  present  could  fail  to  appreciate  the  full  signifi¬ 
cance.  Much  could  be  read  between  the  lines  and 
much  remained  unexpressed,  tied  up  in  the  affec¬ 
tions  by  the  heartstrings,  save  for  the  falling  of  a 
silent  tear. 

The  service  flag  was  presented  on  behalf  of  the 
Ladies’  Aid  Society  by  the  president,  Mrs.  Wynkopp. 
In  an  appropriate  address  she  said,  in  part:  “It  is 


55 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


a  most  fortunate  conjunction  of  events.  Two  weeks 
ago  there  was  presented  to  this  Church  a  beautiful 
silk  American  flag,  now  to  be  followed  with  the 
presentation  of  a  silk  service  flag,  a  most  fitting 
patriotic  and  Christian  service  on  the  part  of  the 
donors,  as  a  token  of  their  love  and  esteem  for  the 
sons  of  our  Church  and  Sabbath  School  who  are 
giving  their  young  manhood  for  the  welfare  of  our 
country  and  the  world,  in  their  devotion  and  desire 
to  serve  the  highest  and  noblest  aims  of  mankind. 

“To-day  our  sons  are  marching  heroically  away 
as  their  forebears  went.  They  have  heard  the  call 
of  the  ‘Minute  Men,’  and  they  have  answered  it. 
We  who  remain  at  home  have  also  heard  the  call  that 
comes  ringing  down  through  a  glorious  and  vic¬ 
torious  past,  that  tells  us  that  war,  with  all  its  hard¬ 
ship  and  sacrifice  in  a  great  and  righteous  waging, 
is  to  be  cheerfully  and  loyally  met.  We  must  give, 
and  give  gladly  of  those  things  that  we  hold  most 
dear  at  such  a  time,  not  only  of  our  country’s  need, 
but  of  the  world’s  peril.  The  need  of  the  times  is 
to  make  the  world  safe  for  any  man  to  live  in,  and 
for  the  existence  of  any  nation,  however  small.  In 
order  that  we  may  keep  before  us  those  of  our  sons 
who  have  gone  out  from  among  us  to  do  their  part, 
I  have  the  honor  and  the  pleasure,  on  behalf  of  the 
Ladies’  Aid  Society,  to  present  to  this  Church  and 
Sabbath  School,  this  service  flag,  with  its  forty-four 
stars,  and  two  more  to  be  added,  representing  those 
on  our  ‘Honor  Roll.’  This  flag  is  hereafter  to  have 
a  place  in  our  Church  beside  the  flag  of  our  Nation. 

“The  most  glorious  heritage  to  leave  posterity 
is  the  consciousness  of  service  well  done  and  battles 


56 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


well  fought,  as  declared  the  Apostle  Paul,  ‘I  have 
fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have 
kept  the  faith.’  ” 

The  service  flag  was  received  on  behalf  of  those 
who  had  sons  and  others  in  the  service,  and  on  be¬ 
half  of  the  Church  by  Mr.  Wilson,  who  showed 
how  much  such  a  flag  meant  to  the  Church,  and  par¬ 
ticularly  to  the  Sabbath  School,  out  of  which  so 
many  had  gone  from  the  Young  Men’s  Class.  It  also 
meant  much  to  the  homes  represented  where  was  the 
empty  chair,  around  which  clustered  affectionate  as¬ 
sociations  of  love  and  kinship.  The  service  flag  was 
borne  forward  to  the  platform  by  two  of  our  boys, 
Elmer  W.  MacLardy  and  Howard  C.  Klaiss,  both 
of  the  Naval  Reserve,  together  with  four  other 
young  men  of  the  Naval  Reserve  who  were  present. 

The  presentation  closed  with  a  salute  to  the 
national  flag,  the  service  flag,  and  to  the  young  men 
of  the  Naval  Reserve. 

Stars  were  added  to  the  service  flag  from  time 
to  time,  representing  the  additional  men  entering 
the  service.  They  were  happy  days  when  the  strain  of 
war  was  lifted  and  these  sons  began  to  return  home. 

A  Recognition  Service  was  held  Sabbath  evening, 
April  27,  1919,  for  all  those  sons  who  had  served 
their  country  in  any  capacity. 

The  speaker  on  this  occasion  was  Lieutenant 
Allen  O.  Newman,  chaplain  of  the  Buffalo  Division 
(colored).  As  an  army  chaplain,  he  saw  active 
service  in  France,  in  the  Argonne,  Vodges,  and  other 
sections.  Lieutenant  Newman  gave  an  interesting 
and  inspiring  message  as  to  how  the  Christian  men 
of  the  army  fulfilled  their  duties  and  went  into  battle. 


57 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


On  the  evening  of  Lincoln’s  Birthday,  Thursday, 
February  12,  1920,  the  Ladies’  Aid  Society  and  The 
Brotherhood  united  in  giving  a  dinner  in  honor  of 
the  service  men  and  the  Home  Defense  Reserve 
Men.  No  effort  was  spared  to  bring  all  the  men 
together  on  this  occasion  to  do  them  honor  for  their 
sacrifices  and  services  for  the  country  and  the  world, 
and  to  give  them  all  a  good,  happy  time  in  the  home 
Church. 

In  connection  with  the  Sabbath  evening  service, 
July  3,  1921,  a  bronze  Honor  Roll  tablet,  the  gift 
of  George  Uetz,  was  unveiled.  The  address  was 
delivered  by  the  Rev.  Melville  B.  Gurley,  assistant 
minister  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  German¬ 
town,  who  served  as  a  chaplain  in  the  United  States 
Navy  during  the  late  war.  The  theme  of  the  address 
was  that  America  went  into  the  war,  in  the  spirit 
of  answering  the  Macedonian  cry  of  old,  to  help 
save  Christian  civilization  for  Europe.  After  the 
address  the  congregation  assembled  in  the  hall  and 
on  the  stairs  of  the  Sabbath-school  building  for  the 
unveiling  of  the  tablet  placed  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs 
on  the  west  end  of  the  hall. 

The  congregation  was  gathered  in  the  following 
order:  Mr.  Uetz,  son  Charles,  and  the  pastor,  Mr. 
Gurley  and  Mr.  Oehrle,  the  service  men  of  the 
Church  and  Sabbath  School,  veterans  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Legion,  Post  388,  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars, 
C.  W.  Hewitt,  Jr.,  Post  154,  Boy  Scouts,  Girl 
Scouts,  and  the  members  of  the  congregation  and 
friends.  As  the  Boy  Scout  buglers  sounded  the 
“Church  Call,”  the  tablet  was  unveiled  by  Master 
Charles  Hamor  Uetz,  youngest  son  of  the  donor. 


58 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


The  tablet  was  presented  by  the  pastor  on  behalf 
of  the  donor  who,  addressing  the  company,  said: 
“I  have  the  honor  of  representing  on  this  occasion 
the  donor  of  this  magnificent  bronze  tablet,  who 
desires  me  to  act  on  his  behalf  in  this  matter. 

“This  whole  idea  was  conceived  in  the  mind  of 
the  donor  as  an  enduring  tribute  to  our  service  men, 
for  the  present  and  succeeding  generations,  and  as  a 
lasting  recognition  and  mark  of  appreciation  of  the 
services  of  each  one  of  these  seventy-nine  men,  ren¬ 
dered  in  their  own  way  to  our  beloved  country  and 
to  the  whole  world  in  an  hour  of  supreme  need. 

“In  the  erection  of  this  tablet  the  donor  has 
performed  a  real  patriotic  service,  met  a  real  need, 
and  fittingly  recognized  the  noble  individual  patriotic 
spirit,  services,  and  sacrifices  of  these  men  born  out 
of  their  love  of  country. 

“This  gift,  with  all  it  represents,  is  deeply  appre¬ 
ciated  by  all,  and  our  thanks  are  due  you,  Mr.  Uetz, 
for  the  patriotic  impulse,  its  splendid  execution,  and 
for  the  gift  itself  in  all  its  simple  magnificence. 

“On  behalf,  therefore,  of  the  donor,  I  have  the 
great  honor  and  extreme  pleasure  of  presenting  this 
tablet  ‘in  honor  of  the  men  of  this  Church  and 
Sabbath  School  who  answered  the  call  of  their 
country  in  the  World  War,  1917-1919,’  and  the 
turning  over  of  the  same  to  you,  Mr.  President,  as 
representing  the  sacred  custody  of  this  congregation 
and  its  officers.” 

The  tablet  was  received  on  behalf  of  the  service 
men  and  the  Church  by  Mr.  Oehrle,  president  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  a  member  of  the  Session, 
who,  in  his  remarks,  expressed  the  deep  debt  of 
gratitude  we  shall  ever  owe  to  these  service  men  for 


59 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


all  they  sacrificed  in  going  forth  in  answer  to  the 
call  of  their  country.  In  receiving  the  tablet  he  also 
expressed  the  thanks  of  the  people  to  the  donor. 

Prayer  was  offered  by  Mr.  Gurley.  The  Boy 
Scout  bugler  sounded  “taps.”  The  exercises  closed 
with  the  singing  of  “America,”  and  the  benediction 
by  the  pastor. 

Only  words  of  praise  and  approval  were  uttered 
concerning  the  tablet  as  it  stood  out  in  its  simple 
magnificence.  Most  fortunately,  none  of  our  young 
men,  while  in  the  service,  died  through  sickness  or 
were  slain  or  maimed,  for  which  everyone  was  most 
thankful,  although  some  of  them  saw  hard  service 
and  were  engaged  in  deadly  battle. 


60 


CHAPTER  VII 


REGIONS  BEYOND 

CHILDREN’S  Day  and  the  Twenty-first  Anni¬ 
versary  of  the  Sabbath  School  were  marked  in 
a  special  manner  by  a  decided  step  forward  in  the 
cause  of  Christian  Missions,  both  on  the  home  and 
foreign  fields,  when  it  was  determined  to  undertake 
the  partial  support  of  a  home  missionary  and  a 
foreign  missionary.  The  Rev.  Samuel  C.  Presnell,  of 
Buckhorn  Presbytery,  laboring  among  the  southern 
mountaineers  of  Kentucky,  was  selected  as  our  rep¬ 
resentative  on  the  home  field.  Mr.  Presnell  carried 
on  his  work  under  the  direction  of  our  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath  School  Work. 
He  was  reared  in  the  mountains  of  Kentucky,  and 
knows  the  people  thoroughly,  and  is  doing  very  suc¬ 
cessful  work.  Mr.  Presnell  is  particularly  devoted  to 
the  organization  of  Sabbath  schools  and  their  work 
in  laying  the  foundations  of  Christian  character 
through  Bible  instruction  and  training. 

Upon  the  invitation  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Missions,  John  M.  Somerndike,  of  the  Board  of 
Publication  and  Sabbath  School  Work,  the  pastor, 
with  his  wife,  spent  part  of  the  summer  of  1920  vis¬ 
iting  this  field.  Their  headquarters  were  at  Buck- 
horn,  the  seat  of  Witherspoon  College,  where  the 
Rev.  Harvey  S.  Murdock,  D.D.,  was  president  and 
pastor  of  the  church.  Here  the  hospitality  of 
Mr.  Presnell  and  the  Rev.  Elmer  E.  Gabbard,  vice- 
president  of  the  college  and  assistant  pastor,  was 
enjoyed. 


61 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


The  object  of  this  visitation  was  to  bring  our 
people  into  a  more  intelligent  understanding  and 
sympathetic  touch  with  this  work  and  its  problems. 
For  about  two  weeks  the  pastor  traveled  about  on 
horseback  with  Mr.  Presnell,  visiting  different  parts 
of  this  vast  field  of  home  missionary  endeavor  and 
seeing  the  needs  and  the  work  at  first  hand. 

This  visit  was  made  very  pleasant  by  the  most 
delightful  associations  with  these  brethren  and  their 
families,  whose  hospitality  was  most  cordial. 

Since  this  visit,  our  people  have  been  very  gen¬ 
erous  in  their  remembrance  of  the  missionaries  and 
the  people,  with  contributions  of  money  and  supplies. 

The  Rev.  Edward  W.  Perry,  laboring  in  China 
under  the  direction  of  our  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  was  selected  to  represent  us  on 
the  foreign  field.  In  the  record  of  Mr.  Perry  is  the 
story  of  an  American  boy,  early  orphaned,  who  was 
true  to  the  teachings  of  a  Christian  mother,  strug¬ 
gling  for  an  education,  independent,  self-reliant,  and 
never  losing  sight  of  his  goal,  which  was  to  be  a 
foreign  missionary. 

Mr.  Perry  was  born  in  Hamilton,  New  York, 
September  25,  1888.  From  1902  to  1906  he  was  a 
member  of  the  George  Junior  Republic.  He  was 
graduated  from  Colgate  Academy,  Hamilton,  New 
York,  in  1910,  and  from  Colgate  University,  Ham¬ 
ilton,  New  York,  in  1914,  and  from  Auburn  Theo¬ 
logical  Seminary,  Auburn,  New  York,  in  1917. 

While  in  college,  Mr.  Perry  began  the  study  of 
the  Chinese  language  in  order  to  fit  himself  for  his 
chosen  field.  In  his  senior  year  he  filled  out  his 
formal  application  to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 


62 


THE  MANSE 


J 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


sions,  January  22,  1914.  In  this  application  he  de¬ 
clared  that  he  had  endeavored  to  make  the  effort  to 
lead  souls  to  Christ  the  first  thing  in  his  life,  and  that 
for  six  years  he  had  been  eager  to  be  a  missionary. 

On  January  2,  1917,  Mr.  Perry  was  appointed 
to  China,  and  on  February  19,  of  the  same  year,  to 
the  Central  China  Mission.  On  September  27,  1917, 
two  days  past  his  twenty-ninth  birthday,  he  sailed 
for  his  appointed  field  of  labor.  Upon  his  arrival 
he  was  assigned  to  Shanghai,  where  he  remained  for 
about  two  years,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Hang¬ 
chow;  again  in  about  a  year  to  Bangkok,  Siam,  and 
again  in  about  eighteen  months  back  to  China,  at 
Yuan  Kiang,  Province  of  Yunnan. 

Mr.  Perry  is  a  whole-souled  Christian  and  good, 
all-around  fellow,  fond  of  hunting,  swimming  and  all 
outdoor  sports,  and  possessed  of  considerable  knowl¬ 
edge  in  the  mechanical  arts.  He  is  most  excellently 
fitted  and  prepared  for  the  great  work  upon  which 
he  has  entered. 

Mrs.  Perry  is  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Hugh  Taylor,  missionaries  at  Nan,  Siam. 

As  yet  our  people  have  not  had  an  opportunity 
to  meet  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  personally,  but  from 
what  we  have  learned  from  others  and  through  cor¬ 
respondence  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  we  have  come 
both  to  know  and  to  love  them.  We  are  expecting 
the  pleasure  of  a  visit  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry 
sometime  during  the  year  1924,  while  on  their 
furlough. 

Our  people  have  taken  pleasure  in  remembering 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  at  Christmas  and  Easter  time. 


63 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


A  greater  missionary  interest  than  ever  before 
was  awakened  by  Ida  M.  Reifsneider,  who  for  over 
nine  years  was  a  communicant  and  worker  in  the 
Church  and  active  in  the  Sabbath  School.  Miss 
Reifsneider  graduated  from  the  William  Penn  High 
School  for  Girls,  Commercial  Department,  Class  of 
1915,  after  which  she  spent  some  time  in  business. 
It  was  while  attending  a  summer  conference  in  1919 
that  she  decided  to  give  herself  for  service  in  the 
foreign  mission  field.  With  this  in  view  she  entered 
the  Moody  Bible  Institute,  Chicago,  for  a  two-year 
course,  graduating  August  10,  1922. 

Through  correspondence  it  was  arranged  for 
Miss  Reifsneider,  with  the  pastor,  to  meet  represen¬ 
tatives  of  our  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sions  in  New  York  City,  Thursday,  September  28, 
1922,  for  conference.  This  proved  very  satisfactory. 
In  her  application  Miss  Reifsneider  stated  she  would 
be  willing  to  go  where  the  Board,  in  its  wise  judg¬ 
ment,  might  direct,  but  she  had  a  preference  for 
Africa,  and  expressed  the  hope  that  she  might  be  sent 
for  service  there.  Her  application  remained  under 
consideration  until  early  in  February,  1923,  when 
Miss  Reifsneider  was  informed  of  her  appointment 
to  the  West  Africa  Mission,  which  information  was 
received  with  great  gratification. 

All  missionaries  under  appointment  were  called 
together  for  a  two-weeks’  conference  in  New  York 
City,  beginning  Wednesday,  June  6.  Miss  Reifsneider 
attended  this  conference.  The  definite  date,  Satur¬ 
day,  July  21,  1923,  had  been  set  for  her  sailing  for 
Paris,  France,  where  she  was  to  spend  six  months 
in  further  study  and  preparation  for  her  work. 


64 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


After  her  return  from  the  conference,  at  the  request 
of  the  pastor,  Miss  Reifsneider  consented  to  speak 
in  the  Church  at  the  Sabbath  evening  service,  July 
15,  at  which  time  she  spoke  of  her  call  to  the  mis¬ 
sionary  service,  and  told  something  of  the  Mission¬ 
ary  Conference  and  of  the  field  of  labor  she  expected 
to  enter  for  Christ  and  the  Church. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  July  18,  in  connection 
with  the  mid-week  service,  there  was  a  special  service 
of  prayer  and  an  informal  farewell  reception  to  bid 
her  God  speed  on  her  way. 

According  to  arrangement,  Miss  Reifsneider 
sailed  Saturday,  July  21,  at  noon,  on  the  ship  Presi¬ 
dent  Arthur,  United  States  Line,  from  Pier  4,  Ho¬ 
boken.  Besides  her  mother  and  father,  Ruth  E. 
Dugan,  Ethel  Kennedy,  Edward  Rodisch  and  son 
Edward,  and  the  pastor  were  there  to  see  her  off. 
She  landed  at  Cherbourg,  Monday  evening,  July  30, 
and  the  next  day  went  to  Paris. 

The  congregation  voluntarily  undertook  the 
entire  support  of  Miss  Reifsneider,  becoming  respon¬ 
sible  to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  the  amount 
of  $1500  annually. 

Arrangements  for  the  raising  of  this  fund  were 
put  in  the  hands  of  a  special  committee,  as  follows: 
Edward  Rodisch,  Mrs.  John  G.  Sonneborn,  and 
Ruth  E.  Dugan. 

The  amount  was  divided  into  one  hundred  and 
fifty  shares  at  $10  per  share.  The  shares  were  taken 
up  by  individual  members  and  different  organizations 
of  the  Church  and  the  Sabbath  School.  In  this  way 
the  entire  amount  was  subscribed,  beginning  with 
July  1,  1923. 


65 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


It  was  a  grand  thing  for  Miss  Reifsneider  to  be 
able  to  go  to  her  field  of  labor  knowing  that  her 
entire  support  was  provided  for  by  her  own  Church. 

The  appointment  of  Miss  Reifsneider  to  this  im¬ 
portant  field  in  Africa  is  a  direct  honor  both  to  Miss 
Reifsneider  and  to  our  Church,  marking  a  new  era  in 
missionary  interest  in  the  congregation. 


66 


CHAPTER  VIII 


VALLEY  SHADOWS 

CHURCHES,  as  well  as  families  and  individuals, 
are  called  sometimes  to  “walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.” 

By  their  virtues  and  their  works,  individuals 
endear  themselves  in  the  associations  of  life.  Next 
to  the  family,  the  place  of  such  endeared  associations 
is  the  Church. 

The  shadows  that  fall  across  the  life  of  a  church 
in  a  quarter  of  a  century  are  deep  and  dark.  The 
first  shadow  of  death’s  dark  vale  to  cross  the  life  of 
the  Church  in  the  early  years  was  caused  by  the  de¬ 
parture  of  a  brother  beloved  and  a  faithful  co¬ 
worker,  George  E.  Hutt,  November  15,  1901. 

Mr.  Hutt  was  the  first  man  in  the  community  to 
identify  himself  with  the  movement  from  its  incep¬ 
tion.  A  man  of  zeal  and  spirit,  refined  and  consid¬ 
erate,  willing  and  active,  he  gave  himself  to  the 
work  in  earnest.  His  heart  and  life  were  in  it. 

He  was  the  first  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Sabbath  School,  as  well  as  a  teacher.  He  was  a 
trustee  and  first  treasurer  of  the  Church,  1898-1901. 

He  was  the  leader  of  the  first  mid-week  prayer 
meeting  that  was  held.  Through  him,  other  men 
were  encouraged  to  take  an  interest  in  the  work. 
H  is  fine  personality,  his  interest  and  his  efforts  meant 
much  in  the  time  of  early  beginnings. 

For  a  second  time  the  valley  shadows  penetrated 
the  official  family  circle,  January  1 1,  1903,  removing 
a  stanch  friend  and  faithful  officer,  Samuel  Clark, 


67 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


trustee,  1898-1903.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
members  and  the  oldest  man  at  that  time  serving 
on  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

Although  not  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trus¬ 
tees  at  the  time  the  shadows  fell,  the  passing  of 
another  grand  old  man,  J.  Kinsey  Kerr,  July  2,  1909, 
was  deeply  felt.  He,  too,  was  a  faithful  and  devoted 
officer,  a  trustee,  1898-1907,  and  first  sexton  of  the 
Church,  1898-1904. 

At  the  dawn  of  the  period  of  greater  growth, 
the  Church  was  veiled  in  the  valley  shadows  by  the 
departure,  March  24,  1913,  of  its  early  leader  and 
benefactor,  William  J.  Scott. 

The  services  of  Mr.  Scott  to  this  Church  were 
large,  self-sacrificing,  and  generous  in  every  way.  He 
loved  the  Church;  it  was  his  delight  to  worship  and 
work  there.  He  was  the  first  Sabbath-school  super¬ 
intendent,  1 898-1908,  and  a  ruling  elder,  1898-1913. 
Such  a  strong  Christian  and  useful  churchman  could 
not  but  be  greatly  missed.  His  faith  and  love,  his 
simplicity  and  prayers,  his  Christian  character  and 
generous  works  abide  with  us  as  an  inspiring  example 
and  holy  benediction. 

Ever  since  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church, 
women  have  had  a  very  large  part  in  its  history  and 
service,  laboring  in  the  things  of  the  Gospel,  thus 
contributing  their  peculiar  part  to  the  advancement 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  world. 

This  Church  is  fortunate  in  having  had  many 
such  women.  The  translation  of  some  of  these 
women  “who  bestowed  much  labor  on  us”  and  “who 
are  of  note”  among  us,  cast  deep  valley  shadows 
over  the  Church  at  different  times. 


68 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


The  first  among  these  women  was  Mrs.  Sara 
T.  Fetter,  who  came  into  the  Church,  with  her  hus¬ 
band,  at  the  time  of  its  organization.  From  the  very 
first  she  was  deeply  interested  in  the  progress  and 
welfare  of  the  Church.  She  gave  generously  of  her 
time,  talent,  and  means  to  further  its  interest.  She 
was  the  first  one  to  suggest  a  manse.  It  was  through 
her  that  her  husband  secured  the  house  for  the  pas¬ 
tor,  in  which  he  lived  so  many  years  as  the  undis¬ 
turbed  tenant. 

She  had  a  particular  interest  in  the  missionary 
work  of  the  Church  at  large.  Mrs.  Fetter  was  a 
Christian  born  and  reared,  a  Christian  in  character 
and  culture,  a  Christian  in  consecration  and  charity, 
in  all,  loving  much  and  much  beloved. 

The  valley  shadows  fell  February  10,  1918,  leav¬ 
ing  a  fine  character  and  delightful  personality  ever 
to  be  remembered. 

Again  the  somber  shadows  fell  across  the  valley, 
June  24,  1922,  marking  the  sudden  passing  of  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Lightenhome  from  our  midst. 

Mrs.  Lightenhome  was  the  moving  spirit  and 
inspiration  in  setting  in  motion  the  activities  which 
led  to  the  early  beginnings  of  the  Church  and  Sabbath 
School,  concerning  the  ultimate  outcome  of  which  she 
had  no  doubts.  “We  expect  not  only  one  blessing, 
but  many  blessings.  I  see  turrets  and  minarets  aris¬ 
ing  out  of  this  small  beginning.”  She  lived  to  see 
in  part  the  realization  of  her  faith  and  effort. 

Through  the  years,  Mrs.  Lightenhome  was  al¬ 
ways  identified  with  some  branch  of  the  work.  She 
was  especially  interested  in  the  Sabbath  School  and 
in  missionary  endeavor.  She  was  a  woman  of  diver- 


69 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


silled  talent,  with  the  gift  of  speech  and  the  pen  of 
a  ready  writer. 

She  was  an  intelligent  Christian,  always  ready  to 
give  a  reason  for  the  hope  within  her.  She  was  a 
witnessing  Christian,  always  ready  to  bear  a  living 
testimony  for  her  Master.  She  was  a  working 
Christian,  always  ready  to  serve  others.  She  was  a 
woman  of  faith  and  vision,  of  prayer  and  good 
works.  Her  familiar  presence  is  greatly  missed  in 
the  Church,  where  she  was  so  faithful  and  useful. 

The  most  active  of  the  oldest  women  who  en¬ 
tered  into  the  establishment  of  the  Church,  and  the 
strengthening  of  its  foundations  with  earnestness 
and  vigor,  was  Mrs.  Agnes  McMillan  Scott.  She 
believed  in  the  founding  of  this  Church  and  the  large 
opportunity  for  service  that  was  evidently  before  it. 
She  gave  generously  of  her  services  and  means.  She 
was  the  first  to  make  a  contribution  of  twenty-five 
dollars  for  lumber  for  the  original  frame  Church 
building,  erected  on  the  lot  of  Tabor  Road  and  Third 
Street,  loaned  and  afterwards  sold  to  the  Church 
by  her  husband,  who  gave  his  services  in  the  erecting 
of  the  building. 

Mrs.  Scott  was  one  of  the  original  members,  and 
as  long  as  she  was  able  was  deeply  interested  in  all 
that  pertained  to  the  welfare  of  the  Church. 

She  was  a  woman  of  positive  conviction,  of  Bible 
knowledge,  of  Christian  experience,  of  devotion  to 
Christ  and  the  advancement  of  His  kingdom  in  the 
world. 

The  shadows  in  the  valley  were  greatly  length¬ 
ened,  until  at  last  they  faded  away  in  the  light  of 
eternal  day,  October  12,  1922,  and  she  entered  in 


70 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


through  the  gates  into  the  city  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God. 

The  Church  and  the  community  were  brought 
down  into  the  deep  valley  shadows  Friday  night, 
April  27,  1923,  when  the  much-beloved  and  sin¬ 
cerely  revered  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Oehrle 

“Silently  slipped 
O’er  the  threshold  by  night, 

To  make  her  abode 
In  the  city  of  light.” 

Mrs.  Oehrle  was  one  of  the  original  members, 
together  with  her  husband,  wThom  she  counselled  and 
encouraged,  and  with  whom  she  planned  and  worked 
in  promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  Church. 

From  the  very  first,  Mrs.  Oehrle  herself  was 
actively  identified  with  the  work  of  the  Church  and 
Sabbath  School,  always  filling  some  important  place 
and  always  wielding  a  great  influence  by  her  counsel 
and  splendid  Christian  character. 

Mrs.  Oehrle  possessed  a  fine  literary  mind,  the 
qualities  of  a  student,  and  the  ability  of  a  teacher. 
These  cultured  talents  she  used  generously  and 
helpfully  in  Christian  instruction  and  spiritual  edifi¬ 
cation. 

Mrs.  Oehrle  was  a  teacher  born,  and  the  desire 
and  pleasure  of  imparting  knowledge  always  re¬ 
mained  with  her  as  one  of  the  magnificent  avenues 
of  her  Christian  service. 

In  the  recent  years,  it  was  particularly  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  Teacher  Training  Department  of 
the  Sabbath  School  that  she  was  so  helpfully  asso¬ 
ciated,  not  only  in  what  she  did,  but  also  through 
her  influence  and  inspiration. 


71 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Mrs.  Oehrle’s  activities  in  time  and  talent  were 
by  no  means  limited  to  the  local  Church,  but  extended 
out  into  the  community  and  the  Church  at  large,  for 
she  was  a  woman  of  varied  interests  and  wide  sym¬ 
pathy.  She  filled  so  large  a  place,  her  departure  was 
a  great  loss. 

“Her  sun  is  gone  down  while  it  was  yet  day.” 


72 


CHAPTER  IX 


DOMINANT  FORCES 

THROUGH  the  years  certain  dominant  forces 
have  been  at  work. 

From  the  first  a  most  dominant  force  has  been 
the  evangelistic.  Ever  aiming  to  be  true  to  the 
mission  of  Christ  and  the  Church,  the  all-prevailing 
objective  has  been  the  salvation  of  souls. 

Evangelism  has  been  the  dominating  force  of 
the  pulpit  and  of  the  people.  It  has  always  been  a 
pleasure  to  be  identified  with  this  part  of  the  work, 
whether  organized  from  within,  or  in  co-operating 
from  without. 

Among  the  former,  was  a  series  of  laymen’s 
evangelistic  meetings  in  April,  1914,  planned  by 
the  pastor  and  regarded  at  the  time  as  unique.  The 
meetings  were  addressed  by  Presbyterian  laymen, 
imbued  with  the  evangelistic  spirit.  These  meetings 
attracted  considerable  attention  and  accomplished 
much  good. 

Among  the  latter  were  the  Simultaneous  Evan¬ 
gelistic  Campaign  in  February,  1908,  under  the 
leadership  of  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D.,  the  Taber¬ 
nacle  Evangelistic  Meetings  in  January,  1915,  under 
the  leadership  of  William  A.  Sunday,  D.D.,  and 
the  Presbyterial  Evangelistic  Campaign  during 
the  season  of  1920-1921,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
General  Assembly’s  Evangelistic  Committee.  Dur¬ 
ing  this  campaign  the  meetings  in  our  Church  were 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Houston,  the  blind 
evangelist.  These  efforts  were  fruitful  spiritually. 


73 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SERVICE 


Where  the  evangelistic  force  is  dominant,  it  is 
sure  to  manifest  itself  in  the  missionary  spirit  and 
effort.  Hence,  simultaneously  with  the  evangelistic 
force,  missions  have  been  a  dominant  force,  too. 

It  is  significant  that  through  all  the  exacting  de¬ 
mands  of  acquiring  land  and  buildings,  contributions 
to  missionary  and  benevolent  causes  increased.  The 
missionary  objective  was  to  support  individual  mis¬ 
sionaries  in  the  home  and  foreign  fields.  It  was  a 
glad  day  when  this  was  realized. 

Again,  educational  forces  have  always  been 
dominant,  seeking  expression  through  all  the  avail¬ 
able  avenues  of  the  Church  life.  The  aim  has  been 
to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God  and  to  present 
the  gospel  of  Christ  intelligently  and  appealingly, 
with  a  view  of  having  it  intelligently  understood  and 
sympathetically  received.  No  pains  have  ever  been 
spared  in  marshalling  the  forces  that  edify  the  mind 
and  develop  the  spiritual  life. 

The  dominant  force  of  fraternalism  in  its  largest 
sense  has  always  been  evident.  As  far  as  possible 
the  Church  organization  has  been  regarded  as  one 
large  family  with  common  interests.  This  idea 
dominated  the  social  life,  and  the  promotion  of  it 
was  for  the  development  of  sociability,  not  as  a 
financial  asset. 

Such  an  aim  has  always  meant  keeping  away 
from  the  mercenary  and  mendicant  spirit,  thus  avoid¬ 
ing  embarrassment  to  those  within  and  hindrances 
in  the  way  of  those  without.  A  consistent  effort  has 
been  made  to  show  clearly  that  this  Church  existed 
not  only  for  those  inside  of  it,  but  for  those  outside 
as  well. 


74 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


The  Church  has  been  maintained  by  the  free-will 
offerings  of  the  people,  given  systematically  by  the 
use  of  the  weekly  envelope.  By  consistently  adhering 
to  this  plan,  no  other  means  have  ever,  at  any  time, 
been  resorted  to  for  maintenance.  The  seats  have 
always  been  free. 

One  of  the  crowning  dominant  forces  which  has 
contributed  so  largely  to  the  successful  development 
of  the  Church  has  been  the  splendid  harmony  which 
has  so  uniformly  prevailed.  An  evidence  of  this  is 
seen  in  the  few  changes  which  have  taken  place  in 
some  of  the  important  offices.  There  have  been  only 
one  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  two  secre¬ 
taries  and  two  treasurers,  one  pastor,  three  clerks 
of  Session,  two  sextons,  three  Sabbath-school  superin¬ 
tendents,  four  pipe  organists,  and  four  choristers. 

These  prevailing  dominant  forces  have  counted 
for  much  in  the  life  and  character  of  the  Church 
which  is  about  to  enter  upon  the  era  of  its  greatest 
usefulness. 


75 


CHAPTER  X 


MUCH  REMAINETH 

AS  WE  face  the  future,  much  remains  upon  which 
i  \  to  bestow  our  best  energies.  The  building 
problem  is  still  with  us. 

The  greatest  remaining  task,  however,  is  the 
erection  of  the  Church  edifice.  This  is  the  one  thing 
needful  to  round  out  properly  our  Church  life  and 
organization.  May  the  Lord  speed  the  day  when 
this  can  be  done ! 

The  importance  of  the  Sabbath  School  has  al¬ 
ways  been  recognized  and  must  continue  so  to  be. 
Every  effort  must  be  put  forth  to  develop  it  into  a 
more  efficient  means  for  the  worship  of  God,  the 
disseminating  of  Bible  knowledge,  and  the  upbuilding 
of  spiritual  life.  To  do  this  requires  officers  and 
teachers  of  spiritual  resources  and  definite  prepara¬ 
tion.  To  be  a  worker  in  the  Sabbath  School  always 
has  been  and  always  will  be  a  position  of  chief  im¬ 
portance  and  usefulness. 

The  increasing  requirement  ever  remains  for 
maintaining  and  successfully  prosecuting  the  work  of 
the  different  organizations.  The  work  of  these 
organizations  affords  opportunity  for  varied  indi¬ 
vidual  expression  in  aiding  the  advancement  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  the  world.  Each  member  of  the 
Church  ought  to  seek  some  such  avenue  of  expression. 
To  this  end,  the  importance  of  giving  attention  to 
training  for  Christian  service  is  imperative.  To  be 
successfully  useful,  this  training  must  be  fostered  by 
the  Church.  There  must  always  be  those  who  are 


76 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  OLNEY 


able  and  willing  to  give  that  training,  and  those  who 
are  ready  and  willing  to  receive  it. 

The  fact  ought  never  to  be  lost  sight  of  that  the 
secret  of  such  work  is  to  do  it  right  and  well.  It  re¬ 
quires  seriousness  and  sincerity  on  the  part  of  those 
engaged  in  it.  Of  course,  changes  in  the  membership 
of  organizations  are  bound  to  come  and  must  be  met. 
While  this  is  true  of  all  organizations  to  some  ex¬ 
tent,  it  is  particularly  true  of  young  people’s  organ¬ 
izations.  Workers  change,  but  the  work  must  go  on. 

It  is  said  the  light  that  shines  farthest  away  burns 
brightest  at  home.  This  is  true  of  the  missionary 
and  evangelistic  Church.  It  means  that  the  work  of 
Christ  is  being  prosecuted  in  the  missionary  and  local 
fields  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  The  live  Church 
is  the  missionary  and  evangelistic  Church.  Both 
the  missionary  and  evangelistic  interests  of  our 
Church  must  continue  to  be  developed  and  to  receive 
the  increased  support  of  the  whole  congregation. 

Those  who  began  the  work  of  this  Church  and 
those  who  have  developed  and  maintained  it  these 
tweny-five  years  bestow  upon  the  coming  years  a 
rich  spiritual  heritage. 

It  remains  a  sacred  obligation  to  the  past  and 
a  loving  trust  to  the  future  to  sustain  an  unflagging 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  this  beloved  Church,  dear 
to  the  past,  precious  to  the  future. 

“The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us;  where¬ 
of  we  are  glad.” 

“Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity.” 

“For  my  brethren  and  companions’  sakes,  I  will 
now  say,  Peace  be  within  thee.” 


77 


J 


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